Second Lifelong Learning: Avatars, Virtual Communities and Future Learning Models

Outline

Navigating the whitewater of educational technology requires vigilance but can be fun. As an online graduate program in education technology we routinely launch new technologies to test their application to learning. Gaming environments and Second Life's virtual world are our latest explorations. The purpose of this session is to present our findings and discuss application and limitations with the larger educational community.

Participants will …
- Gain an appreciation for Second Life environment
- Discuss theoretical potential of the environment
- Review our work at Pepperdine and other notable examples
- Share and apply ideas to their school practices
- Leave with plans and justification for using Second Life

Similar to online multi-player games, Second Life has powerful new ways to engage students. Real-time3D environments supporting avatars encourage online interaction without a script. There is no winning strategy and no preset identities. Everything that exists is created by users… a perfect constructivist learning environment.

Second Life is also quite social and supports formal and informal discussions. Pepperdine students tinker with new learning activities and models that transcend real world education in ways only a virtual space can. For example, project groups congregate in a tree house to plan work together. They have chat, whiteboard space and 3D models available for support. The experience is more like field work trip than a classroom.

As students work and navigate together in the virtual space they discover new methods of interacting with data, context and each other bringing powerful insights back to their own teaching challenges.

Outline

I. Introduction to Second Life as a learning environment (10 minutes)
II. Interaction - Discuss Potential (10 minutes)
III. Overview of our work at Pepperdine in Second Life (20 minutes)
IV. Interaction - Devise immediate uses/ Sahre ideas (10 minutes)
V. Summary and Questions (10 minutes)

Supporting Research

Etienne Wenger suggests that learning is a function of identity management within a community. We learn best in context from appropriate community members as we move from peripheral involvement to expertise. Sherry Turkle reinforces the importance of online identity and the powerful learning that can spring from trying changing identity.

Presenter Background

My research involves virtual learning environments. For the past 15 years I have written and presented on the powerful learning environments created by new communication tools at AERA, NECC, ASTD, CUE and TECHED.