Winterbreak SL workshop results
We had 32 participants attend six, two and a half hour sessions of our Introduction to Second Life Winter Break workshops. Faculty, instructional staff, campus administrators and folks from our neighboring USD got their second lives up and running. Overall it was well received, the majority thought the sessions were effectively organized and presented. They thought the content was effective and were likely to discuss it with colleagues or students.
When asked about the likelihood of applying SL to teaching and learning the results were more diverse. On a scale of 1-10 (very unlikely to very likely), 22% responded very likely, 13% with a nine, 9% responded with an eight and 34% with a seven. The responses to the likelihood that they would use SL in other ways that would benefit SDSU were also spread out. 16% responded very likely, 19% with a nine, 13% with an eight, 19% with a seven and 25% responded with either a five or six. (These figures are rounded up. Here are the actual stats)
Some of the open-ended responses:
When asked to elaborate on the likelihood they’d apply SL to improve teaching and learning:
“I am willing, but still unsure of possible applications. I need more time to think about what I learned today.”
” improve may be ambiguous. I believe it will be an interesting adjunct to teaching.” ”
“Doesn’t seem quite ready for novices — high cognitive overhead and slow performance — but interesting as a test bed for advanced students”
” This medium presents a challenge to instructional design. We should brainstorm on new ideas for design.”
“I believe this techno can be used to encourage DE learners to get to know each other and also be used as a tool in traditional classrooms.
” I am very interested in using this tool as a meeting place for our online students, particularly those working on group projects. Our courses are entirely online.”
When asked to elaborate on the likelihood they’d use SL in other ways to that benefit SDSU
“Again, if I can figure out effective uses, I will apply them.”
“The notion that people can virtually visit SDSU has been taken to another level.”
“Hard to say at this point.”
“Just having a better understanding of the environment will make a world of difference”
“various applications when it comes to student and faculty orientations”
The educational uses of SL
This Wiki is an expanding collection of what’s going on and what could go in SL educationally. Worth bookmarking and keeping up on.
Reflections from the Farm
In SLRL, the Second Life Research Listserv, I was happy to see an insightful conversation about the abundance of brick and mortar emulations of institutions (and their concepts) in an environment that has the potential to be more.
There were two distinct voices in this conversation. One pointed to the land grab mentality. Akin to the movement west as result of the Homestead Act of 1862, many “headed out” with no idea what they’d do, or what could be done, once they arrived. I completely agree with the author, and in particular with his point that this current trend suggests we’ve not yet begun with innovation in SL. This is precisely what the Farm is about and why it’s annexed to the SDSU brick and mortar campus. More on that shortly.
The other voice in this conversation pointed out tha new immigrants often attach themselves to pre-existing infrastructures as a way of anchoring themselves in their new lives. Many of us are new immigrants in SL, particularly those of us coming from academia. From a communities of practice standpoint, or from an instructional design standpoint, novices or noobs (SL language for Newbies) require the same infrastructures immigrants would. We annexed the farm to the SDSU campus because it provides such an infrastructure. The Farm, on the other hand, aims to break away from this model. For example, we have a Sky Meadow, 300 meters above the Farm where you initially arrive on. You can teleport to it. I think you can fly to it as well. Anyway…
A significant portion of my time over the next 6 months will be spent connecting with the communities pursuing innovations and hopefully developing some.At a basic conceptual and technological level, SL is a simulation. One of the questions we explore with simulations is: What would happen if ….?. This kind of question can be asked in any discipline and at many levels of expertise in a knowledge domain. Designing a complex sim is time intensive however. So part of my goal is to explore sims. Has anyone designed a sim where learners embody an avatar whose gender, ethnicity, race or age is different than in RL? Then in a instructor-designed scenario or perhaps out and about in SL, learners face tasks and activities in which they experience the viewpoint of the Other? SL has a server-side physics simulation, which means that objects fall, bounce and collide correctly. Using scripts, a designer can change how the built-in physics affect an object. How is this capability being used for learning sims?
Suzanne
SL Aurili Oh
