Learning Possibilities in Virtual Worlds

By: Sean Andrews

This is the floating island on our own ESC virtual campus. I stumbled upon it last semester seeing how high I could fly. It seems to be a training center and has a couple of offices. Floating islands are a great use of virtual real estate, and also a good place for privacy during a meeting or lesson. In the article “How a Georgia District Built its Grid” they delve into how schools can build these virtual environments to foster learning, fun and creativity.

Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Empire%20State%20College/101/219/301

Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/US%20Holocaust%20Museum1/1/35/27

This is my visit to the Holocaust Museum. As a tutor I can match our meeting location with the content being learned. A virtual field trip is a great way to get them involved with the subject matter. The video on the Georgia Art museum shows how interactive, and educational a trip to the virtual museum can be.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eMa2mYLH70

Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Magic%20Valley/181/108/3514

This is a more abstract location. It could be geared towards a science student, or inspiration for a creative project. There are even virtual planetariums that could be used for a field trip. “How a Georgia District Built its Grid” Talks about free sources online that allow you to download OAR files. These files can help you build your own virtual environment, with preset buildings, historical structures, towns, and much more!

Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hikari/92/172/28

This Japanese garden is full of beautiful sights and soothing music. It would be a good opportunity to check out some Japanese style houses and architecture, as well as provide a relaxing place to meet. I even found a prompt that lets you practice Tai Chi.

Slurl: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Grand%20Canyon%20North/38/208/22

Here is a picture from a field trip last semester. Snow-tubing, go-karts, horse-rides, carnivals, and many other activities are great to make the virtual experience more fun. I would like to make a compellation of these activities and create a obstacle course with test questions between activities. These questions could be tailored to the students’ learning goals.

References

Korolov, M. (2012). How a Georgia district built its grid. Hypergrid Buisiness. Retrieved from http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2012/03/how-a-georgia-district-built-its-grid/

Williams, J. (2009). GMOA’s Virtual Museum in Second Life. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eMa2mYLH70