I think I could use a Second Life

Not only could I get more done, I could be blonder, taller, skinnier, maybe even smarter in the virtual world. It was fun having the assignment of signing up for Second Life – games are fun, students like something different from reading texts and writing papers. But then the computer glitches began and my computer kept crashing. ARGGGGG. So I tried loading the SL software on two other computers around the house with even worse results. Chip said that memory and video cards are often to blame – I updated video drivers and at 1:30 a.m. things started working. The Rocky theme song “Gonna Fly Now” started running through my head. I felt invincible.

“Where’s the Beef?” How could I justify spending time playing a game? I knew there was an educational component here somewhere…… I just had to find it. I couldn’t even begin to fathom the educational possibilities of this medium until I read The Educational Possibilities of a Massively Multiplayer Virtual World (MMVW)
http://www2.kumc.edu/tlt/SLEDUCAUSESW2005/SLPresentationOutline.htm

This paper was written by ed tech people who work at a medical college. It explains,

"Students engaged in educational games and simulations are interpreting,
analyzing, discovering, evaluating, acting, and problem solving. This approach
to learning is much more consistent with constructivist learning, where
knowledge is constructed by the learners as they are actively problem solving in
an authentic context, than with traditional instruction."

The authors discuss the benefits of constructivism and social collaborative learning and present simulations (online videos) showing medical students role playing doctor-patient interactions in a medical clinic they created in SL . Another video shows how a student might use her design skills to beautify a city space. I thought of Heidi building the Roman Forum and inviting her students to speak at the rostra or Bill’s students at Antietam…..Now I understand that the educational possibilities are boundless.