SL-moderators?

Re: SL-moderators?

by Jeffrey Keefer -
Number of replies: 6

Gilly-

Will there be any sessions in SL to follow-up with these discussions to demonstrate how these best practices can best be used? I have been quietly following these posts and discussions, but am having trouble as they are a bit abstract for me. That is one of the reasons I have not been active in SL, as I have not experienced some of the benefits that others certainly see.

I like your model, and hope to learn more about it. Does it support or account for helping the learners who are overwhelmed or technically challenged or pressed for time and just want to get to the piont (of whatever learning is needed)? I am thinking about some of my more quantitative students who, when facing something creative, at times just want to "get to the stuff I need to know," and may not be intersted in the virtual world experience. It is rare that I hear "Just tell me (lecture) what I need to know (for the test)," but I can imagine it for some who are easily distracted.

Thank you for facilitating this session. I wish it were longer as there is quite a bit here.

Jeffrey

In reply to Jeffrey Keefer

more

by Gilly Salmon -

Jeffrey, yes this is just the very beginning.

A later message today is my very start of a summary- a spark to start the next diagloue (and other contributors will have much more)

However, best to get right in there and try it  - please visit the Media Zoo in SL where we hang out

Gilly

In reply to Gilly Salmon

Cognitive load for teachers new to Virtua Worlds

by Nick Noakes -
Hi Gilly from a very cold Hong Kong! :-)

I was talking with a teacher in SL the other day who is very experienced in teaching interactively using a learning tasks/activities approach and talked about the challenges for her in teaching in virtual worlds. I was struck in the conversation about how similar this sounded to conversations with beginning EFL, physical classroom-based teachers. The cognitive load that a beginning teacher has to deal with. And here was an experience classroom and online practitioner talking of all these challenges for synchronous online learning in a virtual world.

It seems that there might be considerable differences and adaptations needed for people coming from differing practitioner backgrounds and familiarity with being in 3D virtual worlds:

- new to online teaching and learning in any form
- experienced online teaching and learning practitioner in asynch modes
- experienced online teaching and learning practitioner in synch modes
- experienced online teaching and learning practitioner in text-based virtual worlds
- experienced online teaching and learning practitioner in 2D virtual worlds (e.g. Palace, Tapped In)
- experienced in being in 3D virtual worlds - the user interfaces with spaces like Active Worlds and Second Life can be quite a learning curve in themselves, esp getting proficient in operating them in real time while interacting with a group of participants!

.. combinations of these and no doubt there are examples I've missed here.

oops meeting and gotta run, but wanted to put this idea in there at least.

Looking forward to the summary!
In reply to Nick Noakes

Re: Cognitive load for teachers new to Virtua Worlds

by Nick Noakes -
I wonder if people familiar with online teaching in asynchronous and/or synchronous text based formats, find teaching in 3D virtual worlds even more of a struggle than people who have not yet taught online. What do you and others here think? What have the learning curves been like?

I took quite a lot of time exploring SL and learning about it (through great orientation activities like the teleportation trail created by an SL resident - not a 'teacher') before I then went on to start thinking about where the learning potential was of such environments.

In reply to Nick Noakes

Re: Cognitive load for teachers new to Virtua Worlds

by Gilly Salmon -

Hi Nick

(I'm spending my sabbatical in spain...its warmer here than Uk (and HK!)

thanks very much for pointing this out- of course it depends on what they've done before (well?)

I'll build that into dvpt

thanks Gilly

In reply to Gilly Salmon

Re: more

by Jeffrey Keefer -

Gilly -

Sounds wonderful. I will take you up on the offer, especially as I just created a new avatar in SL, since I could not recall or otherwise retrieve my last persona. Lots of exploring to do, and I noticed the system is much smoother than it used to be the last time I logged on.

Looking forward to learning enough I will be able to better understand your research.

Thank you.

Jeffrey

In reply to Jeffrey Keefer

Re: more

by Lisa Valentine -
Gilly

I've found this really interesting but again, felt I couldn't contribute as had little experience of using SL successfully. I would welcome a modelling session on good practice in SL. Could it possibly be done at different times to take into account different time zones.

Again thanks.

Lisa