If a picture is worth a thousand words, here is a 60-second video that demonstrates one of the major strengths of vritual worlds -the sense of immersion and shared experience.
Last night edna workshop participants from Canada, New Zealand and the US got the chance to jam out and create music together and then share some virtual sushi and champagne. Here is a look at the drumming session:
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But from a learning perspective, what was the purpose of this activity? Clearly a lot of effort has gone into creating it - but why? Second Life frequently feels like going to a bad party - a reality I don’t particularly want to experience a second time. ;-)
Hi Jen
Just as in other types of online collaborative spaces you have social activities to break the ice and foster the feeling of collaboration, so too does an activity like the one in the video. Plus the incidental learning involved includes learning how to interact with scripted objects.
SL and other virtual worlds are providing tools for immersive roleplaying, re-creation of real world sites students might not get to visit, visual 3-D modelling of scientific theorums and environmental patterns, interactive models of machines and molecules - and alternate ways to create communities of practice and social networks.
They can also be tedious wastes of time and energy — such as events that consist of logging in and learning the ropes only to sit one’s avatar down to watch a slideshow or listen to a speaker.
As with any tool — it’s all in how you use it. If you end up with a lot of bad parties — time to find a new circle of friends.. : D
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