The Role of Virtual Worlds in Teaching and Learning

1. The Role of Virtual Worlds in Teaching and Learning Petra Štogrová Jedličková New Media Studies, Faculty of ArtsCharles University, Prague, Czech Republic

2. Content • Intro (=Premises) • Active Learning and other theories (=Techniques) • Tools (=Opportunities) • Roles (=Experiences) • Future research and trends (=Challenges) DECOWE September 2009

3. Premises • Information Society challenges: • traditional faculty-centered educational models versus learner-centered collaborative networked models • ICT infrastructure, eAccessibility and eReadiness • Raise of expectations: • Efficiency, effectiveness • increased motivation for students grown-up immersed in computer games • Didactics and Methodology • constructivist approaches • exploitation of virtual worlds and computer games for learning purposes and bypassing their drawbacks at the same time DECOWE September 2009

4. Techniques • active learning, anchored learning, constructivist approaches, social constructivism... • interaction with the online environment and modifying/expanding it, group interaction, reaching consensus, discussion, chatting, negotiation, team work, peer review, forming virtual communities, receiving feedback DECOWE September 2009

5. Opportunities • Construction of identity (static settings – icon, roles..- and dynamic aspects – language behavior, response time...) • tracking of an individual‘s progress (statistics, portfolios, profiles) • increased responsibility (success of the group) • increased motivation (key to success in LLL) • repository of knowledge (shared and further developed) DECOWE September 2009

6. Experiences • collaboration (online environments are living organisms, hard to fully control and monitor, exceeds diversity of environments, can not be forced-needs conditions) • interaction (person-person, person-object, object-object) DECOWE September 2009

7. Challenges I. • Understanding processes (social): • assessment of real impacts, efficiency and effectiveness (investments/outcomes), longitudinal research, empirical evidence – how people actually learn? • more diverse groups within less diverse environment (cultures, styles, levels, experience) – putting people together doesn‘t solve the problems of differences • virtual worlds simulate not only real-life situations but also virtual-life situations or situations currently not possible (cultural diversity, democracy, future projections, variations) DECOWE September 2009

8. Challenges II. • Understanding actors (pedagogical): • motivations to study determine the behavior • ability of a learner to move from passive to active learning (responsibility issue) • introduction of students and teachers to online learning environment • reflexion of understanding one‘s behavior and learning progress • high level of (not only ICT) skills of training personnel • new teaching methods applied to old-structured systems (network vs hierarchy, tension between notion of virtual learning community and traditional learning discourse) • traditional expertise in subject is available externally while teacher has to become navigator, manager, facilitator, mentor, and tutor DECOWE September 2009

9. Challenges III. • Understanding environment (technical): • digital divide • limited availability and capability of SW and HW • limited ICT tools (ability to cover all themes, subjects and aspects of learning; increased instructor‘s workload) DECOWE September 2009

10. Thank you for your attention! Petra Štogrová Jedličková, PhD. New Media Studies Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague GSM: +420 605 21 41 66 E-mail: stogrova@navreme.cz URLs: novamedia.ff.cuni.cz www.navreme.cz www.ikaros.cz LinkedIn Skype Facebook Plaxo DECOWE September 2009