So..I’ve been reflecting upon Einstein’s advice to his son. I was moved by his efforts to maintain a relationship with his son, and then grateful for my family. I can only imagine how much easier communications with his son would have been if they had the Internet and cellular infrastructure.
However, I was also slightly fascinated by his encouraging words for learning and life’s ambitions. Specifically, the sentence I highlighted from his letter, and offering keywords such as ‘enjoyment’, and ‘don’t notice the time passes’, and ‘wrapped up in work’.
How can distance learning even begin to meet the loosely defined criteria offered by ‘the Genius’? I took the liberty to research his words in relation to what we have discussed so far in OMDE 603. Recently we discussed Web 2.0 and social media. We know application such as Facebook and Twitter can be enjoyable and fun in a personal context. But, could students become engaged so that they ‘don’t notice the time passes’ because they are so ‘wrapped in their...studies/collaboration/learning activities’?
Would it be possible that the portfolio of Web 2.0 applications and products could support similar behavior? There are many 2.0 applications, either stand alone or configured together to provide an integrated learning tool.
I have no experience with Second Life, Virtual Reality, and Avatar’s, but keyword search across literature and the Web, using “learning enjoyment Web 2.0”, seemed to point in this direction. Virtual reality applications, such as Second Life, allow the user to participate, “in a 3D fantasy land as an avatar in the company of other avatars” (Steven, V.) Internet based virtual Web 2.0 applications may provide the enjoyment and ‘immersive’ qualities resulting in a very unique educational experience. “Second Life promotes a spirit that proclaims that there is much scope in education for experimentation and enjoyment, and the result doesn't have to look like 'education'. As Stephen Downes also says often in his podcasts, learning should be built into and part of what people do naturally day to day rather than something people are 'kidnapped' into doing within the walls of an isolated institution” (Stevens, V., 2006, http://tesl-ej.org/ej39/int.html)
More on ‘what is’ Second Life: http://secondlife.com/whatis/?lang=en
Learning Management Systems (LMS’s) may also provide an interface for access to virtual apps amongst other 2.0 tools they can support. For example, Moodle LMS provides developers a way to configure virtual avatar applications into the Moodle. SLOODLE (Simulation Linked Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) ,”is a free and open source project which integrates the multi-user virtual environments of Second Life® and/or OpenSim with the Moodle™learning management system” (http://www.sloodle.org/)
More on virtual and second life in follow on blogs....
Hi Jeff.
ReplyDeleteI have never used second life, nor avatars for that matter, but I can only equate them to playing a video game. Although I haven't played one since I was in high school, to me that was the ultimate "time-killer." I was always fully immersed in whatever I was doing and would not even hear someone enter the room. Hours could pass that seem like minutes.
Interesting points about creating such an immersive environment in education! It just makes sense that we could one day get there- I feel even simulators create the same kind of environment. You are learning how to fly- but it is really just a big video game. I could only speculated that turning any course into some type of game would help that immersion to occur- I guess some courses would be much easier than others!
It is really crazy to think of where education will be in 20/30 years!