Chapter 6 Virtual Worlds

Opportunities for different teaching methods:•Lecturing at online conferences•Student-centered stimulation•Collaborative problem solving•Role-playing•Scenario building•Inquiry-based pedagogy

Second Life

Over 20 million users who:Interact through avatars:Explore the world, Socialize, Participate in individual and group activities, Create and trade virtual property and services with one another.

Over 60 Universities have had sites in Second life including:HarvardOhio UniversityIndiana UniversityPen StateUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of TexasVassar CollegeUniversity of IllinoisUniversity of North Carolina

Quest Atlantis3D multi-user virtual environment, with learning Quests and unit plans

Storyline through an introductory video, novel, and comic book

Mythical characters with a set of social commitments

Designed for:•Learning with entertainment and social action•Social commitment and real-world action,•Engaging children ages 9–16 in transformational play both online and off-line learning activities

Educational uses for virtual worlds

Training in fields of medicine and militaryOnline spaces for organizing information and experienceCenters for history, art, culture, religion and scienceOpportunity to create, shape, and maintain communities of people who share same classroom, school, or planet