This week we were introduced to the topic of virtual worlds and how they are currently be used as an innovative way to explore ICT in education. This was my first time exploring a virtual world, Second Life and to be honest I found it quite confusing. I was able to explore the environment by choosing an avatar whose appearance and actions were able to be altered and modified by me. The application also had an interactive environment that explored the maths and sciences.
I did not really enjoy exploring these virtual worlds, possibly because I am not experienced with these types of applications. Another issue that I encountered was the slowness of this application due to the poor graphics card on the school computers. Second Life kept freezing and I wasn’t able to see my avatar for the first 20 minutes. I had to restart the program numerous times before it worked properly. It made me wonder how beneficial this program would be to high school students and if it would work well at the school computer labs.
I understand how virtual worlds offer a new way of thinking for students as they are given the independence to enhance their searching skills, are able to problem solve and engage with all types of learning, but I feel that the program would need to be more condensed. Essentially, instructions as to how to use this program would also need to be defined and simple in order for them to explore the unique tools of the virtual world appropriately. If students were given the opportunity to explore Second Life, they would simply play around with the avatar inappropriately. However, having an interactive environment, like the maths and sciences room is a great idea to teach students how these programs can be used effectively. Still, I am perplexed and I am not quite sure if I would introduce virtual worlds to my students…
No comments:
Post a Comment