Another life: virtual worlds as tools for learning
Description of Article:
The article asks the question: "Are virtual worlds a breakthrough technology that will forever reshape learning and business? Or are they this season's over-hyped fad?"
The fact is no, they are not. Virtual worlds, in the flavors of Massively Multi player Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) and Virtual Worlds (VWs) are quickly gaining momentum as learning tools. As news coverage continues to grow on these interactive environments more people begin to look at them and wonder why they, themselves, are not using them.
Even if VWs are to become staples in the classroom, they will not replace current methods. As the authors say "A virtual classroom with virtual students and a virtual PowerPoint deck is not the end-game for learning in VWs." And I agree, simply emulating a classroom does little, if nothing, more than traditional methods.
The main draw to VWs is that normal laws of physics do not apply. In VWs such as Second Life (SL), a person can fly, interact with objects at quite a distance and materialize objects from thin air. This, in itself, is not highly educational, but this apparent lack of laws can allow for hypothetical situations, such as explaining to a third grader how gravity helps them from floating away.
VWs are not only for learning, corporations are heavily invested in VWs.
"Corporations are actively exploring virtual worlds, drawing on VW capabilities for
- A new level of always-on, real time connectivity for collaboration
- Empowering both customer and employee groups
- Making informal viral learning a core mechanism of transformation"
Companies such as IBM, Apple, and others are invested in these virtual worlds. From having a virtual store front, to virtual corporate buildings on their own private islands, these companies are working hard to make sure they are not left behind on this new technology.
One may ask: "So what? This world can't offer anything new." But they can, "VWs support learning in ways that current methods cannot, i.e. when the horseless carriage becomes the car and the icebox becomes a refrigerator. At the end of the day, VWs afford more freedom as we think about how to apply it to make learning more engaging and memorable." Virtual worlds offer an array of attributes of learning, such as
"-Flow, balancing inactivity and challenge in just the right proportions to keep people moving through the experience.
-Repetition, which allows learners to try-and-try again as many times as they choose.
-Experimentation, encouraging learners to try new things and learn in the process.
-Experience that is much more engaging than other digitally mediated technologies.
-Doing, because practice makes perfect and VWs are big practice fields.
-Observing, because if you're not ready to act now, you have plenty of opportunities to observe others and learn from them.
-Motivation, because all of these factors culminate in an environment that cultivates teachable moments at every turn. Motivation is baked into the content as people want to learn within it."
My View:
As technology improves it becomes more common place, it can be found in things from our credit cards to even our keys. Schools across the world trying to get a computer in every classroom to aid in teaching, while still using the same methods some researchers say that the next logical step in learning will be the interactive virtual world. As with every step, it will not replace the current system. This boundless system allows for nearly anything to happen.
So far I have been looking at the concept of learning through games and virtual environments as a child only thing, this article has made me realize that they can also be used in training of nearly anything. As they become more popular businesses are spending more time and resources on them. Virtual business fronts and offices where professional training occurs, on the company's private island in second life is becoming more common.
As I said, this new way of learning will not replace traditional methods, however archaic they may be, but rather augment them and present a new way to teach. Rather than simply reading, viewing and reciting facts and theories a student can interact with a virtual object and actually manipulate it, change it, and play around with it -- just to see what happens. To learn by doing is a more effective method than just reading.
For some time now, I have been against the read-recite-test method of learning that schools everywhere have adopted. Yes, you do learn from reading, but unless you go over the material several times (7-8 is recommended) then you lose nearly 70% of it immediately. So the 30% that is saturated in your brain is not enough. With an interactive method you can absorb more and retain more.
A virtual environment allows for this, it models the real world closer than the school environment. In the real world, you aren't tested on things as much, books are never closed and you can always get help.
Edit: Fixed two apparent typos that relate to having poor writing skills.
Added: Content, to make a more clear and coherent post.
Added: Images
Citation in extended entry
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