Teaching & learning health care practice

in Second Life

Sarah Stewart (Petal Stransky)Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin

Creative Commons BY

Petal Stransky

Sarah Stewart

What does Second Life offer health care professionals

& educators?

Authentic & immersive learning experiences

Safe place to explore clinical scenarios

Imaginative mode of presenting content & information

Access to international community of medical &

health educators & researchers

Access to communities of health care consumers

Cape Able Island, haven for deaf, hard of hearing & people with disabilities: http://virtualability.org/our_projects.aspx

Questions to ask?

Think about what you want to achieve – can it be better achieved another way?

What resources are already available in Second Life that you can use to reduce costs?

Who can you collaborate with to reduce costs?

How can you share what you develop in order to support other educators?

What about students who do not have access to Internet & computers?

Educational principles to follow

Don’t be ‘seduced’ by technology – keep pedagogy in mind all the time

Don’t lose sight of learning outcomes

Embed Second Life into curriculum

Design comprehensive orientation program

Allow students & staff time to ‘play’ to build confidence &

competence

What technology do you need?

• Decent Internet access• Quality computers• Headsets & microphones • Knowledgeable IT support• Supportive IT policies

Who do you need in your team?• Second Life developer/builder• Some one with experience of Second Life, how it

works & what can be achieved• Educational designer• Faculty champion/s

Second Life Education New ZealandVirtual Birthing Unit & Normal Birth Scenario

• http://slenz.wordpress.com• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw-KL-

lCesE• http://wikieducator.org/The_virtual_birthing

_unit_project

Sarah Stewart

sarahstewart07@gmail.comhttp://sarah-stewart.blogspot.comTwitter: SarahStewartSkype: sarah.m.stewart