I can see the benefits of a virtual classroom, such as during the snowpocalypse or events that prevent a University from operating, but I would not chose to take a class completely in a virtual classroom. The major benefit of Second Life to me is the availability to take 'field trips' and showcase experiments that would not otherwise be safe or able to be perform in a class.
I really like the thought of being able to see the places that we all learn about, through something besides pictures. I feel like if we were able to experience 'seeing' a country or experiment, the outcome would be so much more educational and leave a more lasting impact on the students. I am really looking forward to checking Second Life out on Wednesday, now that I understand what it is about!
I really like the thought of being able to see the places that we all learn about, through something besides pictures. I feel like if we were able to experience 'seeing' a country or experiment, the outcome would be so much more educational and leave a more lasting impact on the students. I am really looking forward to checking Second Life out on Wednesday, now that I understand what it is about!
I'm really excited to try it out as well and am very interested to see if it works as well as a teaching aid as some say.
ReplyDeleteYeah i think we should try that out in our itec 335 class.....it should be fun!!!
ReplyDeleteVirtual Reality is a cool aspect, but I would much rather save up and travel to another country to learn their history than sit at my desk watching a computer screen that makes me feel like I am there. Part of the learning process is the emotion a person feels when they travel somewhere, physically do an experiment, or can interact with a professor 100%. Second Life seems like a way for society to be lazy.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't saying that it is better than seeing it in real life. But if you don't have the capability it is better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to remember that not everybody has the resources or ability to be able to go to places around the world. In fact, most people in the world don't. So, by having a place to converge and learn about the world like Second Life, allows people to come together to see the world, just on a virtual and more unusual scale.
ReplyDeleteIf you think about it, Second Life is just like Facebook or other social networks, just in a totally different direction and space than we are used to.
Second Life gives students a way to learn things which would have been impossible without a virtual world. However, I would be hesitant to go to all my classes on Second Life. There is still a major difference between interaction in the online world and interaction in the real world.
ReplyDeletei agree with you. The uses you talk about are definitely very valid, but the majority of people on this are "living it". If the weather is nice go out and meet some real people.
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