After reading Robbins-Bell, I had to agree with her. I feel like the virtual world offers more fun, creativity, and a wider horizon for learning in and out of the classroom. For example, with my Game Design class, we are looking at reasons why millions of people play games for hours, and yet will not read a book. It is because people are looking for something new in their way of learning and enjoyment. And I feel like a new system of learning is something we need. Things like Second Life or Virtual Worlds could provide.
When asked about a class that would benefit from this new type of technology, I had a real hard time thinking of a class that would benefit from something like this( probably because I’m used to the boring, dull classroom setting). But one idea did come into my head. During my junior year, I took a sociology class. What better way to learn about a group of people or a certain community than to build a virtual world of that particular culture? The idea of talking about culture would be so much more fun living and interacting in a created world than learning about sociological phrases in a big textbook. Put people in the neighborhood and let them interact within it. I feel like that could be a very efficient way to get people to learn about people by virtually living as a member of that group. And with the idea of avatars and other forms of expression, we can see how members of the group, or of the classroom, perceive themselves and the world around them. I quote the reading: “Tell me, and I’ll forget; Show me, and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”
And, I think the other important matter in this case is that the discussion should not return to the classroom about the world that we are virtually stuck in. If we are residing in this virtual world, we should have that discussion virtually as well. Also, because of that aspect of technology, the sociological discussion could also occur between people outside of our classroom, and it would be easy to invite them into our world, and vice-versa. Like the reading said: “The more conversations that an instructor can encourage, the more involved the students may become.” And that just enhances and increases the chances for learning.
