seminar
Using Second Life for simulated face-to-face synchronous teaching & learning
This
seminar outlines the use of Second Life to engage students in a synchronous
virtual reality class. Second Life is a virtual learning environment, that can
be customized to create a multimedia virtual classroom with multiple projectors
and "shared media" laptops which can display prepared slideshows or
provide web access to the Internet. In this virtual class, students are
expected to create a free Second Life avatar account, login to the virtual
locations provided, and have the ability to participate in audio visual
activities. The facilitator will describe and demonstrate activities carried
out in the class, showing how the synchronous environment supports voice and
typed chat interaction in a simulated 1-to-1 laptop environment, and how Moodle
discussion forums can be integrated into instruction.
This is a
CITE/TEL@HKU Seminar presented as part of the Earmarked TDG project for 4-Year Undergraduate Curriculum
Reform "Building Communities of Good Practices in Using ICT in the Curriculum".
<p>Brant
Knutzen has been teaching using technology for 30 years: in the 80’s it was
Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), and in the 90’s it was the Web. Since coming to Hong Kong he has been
teaching using Moodle for 6 years, and the Second Life virtual learning environment
for the past 4. He has developed private
educational spaces in the virtual world to support learning activities for
courses in Design and Programming, Visual Studies, and English language
acquisition. He currently works as an Educational Development Officer in the
Teaching & Learning Centre of Lingnan University, and as a instructor on
the MITE 6311 eLearning course at HKU.
His research areas include the integration of virtual learning
environments with instruction, and developing a framework which can motivate
students to produce highly interactive online discussions.</p>