|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Pedagogical Roles
and Implementation Guidelines for Online Communication Tools ABSTRACT: The use of online communication tools in higher education is increasing rapidly and has become an important topic as seen in educational journals and technical e-journals (e.g., "Web-based Learning and Collaboration," cover of Computer, September 1999), and even popular magazines (e.g., "The Internet Age," cover of BusinessWeek, October 4, 1999.) But as with other new educational technologies, it is not so much the tool that improves teaching and learning but how the instructor integrates the tool into the curriculum and into the educational setting [1], [2]. An important step in integrating technology successfully is beginning with an explicit definition of the pedagogical role for that technology [1]. Core to this task is understanding the types of roles asynchronous discussion tools can successfully play in higher education. The goal of this study was to find out how twelve instructors teaching various Introduction to Humanities (IHUM) courses at Stanford University utilized an asynchronous discussion tool in the teaching of their sections. In addition, we were interested in their perceptions of the value the particular technology added to their students' learning and to their teaching. In other words, what pedagogical opportunities were afforded by the use of the technology? Our aim was to glean from these descriptions and opinions a set of pedagogical roles this type of technology can play in higher education and a set of guidelines to help increase the possibility of achieving those pedagogical results using the tool. Paradigms for On-Line
Learning: A Case Study in the Design and Implementation of an Asynchronous
Learning Networks (ALN) Course Impacts of college-level
courses via Asynchronous Learning Networks: Some Preliminary Results ABSTRACT: New Jersey Institute of Technology has been delivering college courses via an Asynchronous Learning Network (ALN) system called the Virtual ClassroomTM for a decade, using various media mixes. Currently, two complete undergraduate degree programs are available via a mix of video plus Virtual Classroom, the B.A. in Information Systems and the B.S. in Computer Science. This paper presents preliminary findings about impacts on students, and touches on some issues and potential impacts for faculty, individual universities, and the structure of higher education. Overall ratings of courses by students who complete ALN based courses are equal or superior to those for traditional courses. Dropout or Incomplete outcomes are somewhat more prevalent, while grade distributions for those who complete tend to be similar to those for traditional courses. For both students and faculty, more startup time devoted to solving the "logistics" of ALN delivery seems to be required at the beginning of courses. ALN delivery is not just a "different" way of doing the same thing, however; it is likely to change the nature and structure of higher education. Constructivism
in Practice: The Case for Meaning-Making in the Virtual World Constructivism
in the Collaboratory (COVIZ) Learning Through
Collaborative Vizualization (COVIZ) A National Science Education Collaboratory
"Issues in Computer
Networking in K-12 Classrooms: A Progress Report of Four NSF Testbeds"
Cognitive engagement
and higher order thinking through compute conferencing: We know why but
do we know how? The potential of computer conferencing as a flexible, innovative form of networked learning was signalled in the literature several years ago and since then it has become mainstream pedagogic practice in many tertiary settings. Online units now incorporate discussion forums, list servs and bulletin boards as learning spaces, where students can engage in collaborative networked learning. However, there is limited empirical evidence that online learning and asynchronous text based communications support the higher order forms of learning that university graduates need to develop. Tertiary educators know why higher order thinking (HOT) is important, but they may not know how to recognise HOT or how to support it through tasks, activities and interventions while teaching online. This paper provides analysis of an asynchronous, text based communication forum in a Web CT environment and provides a framework for analysis of online interactions. In addition, the paper suggests that the educational effectiveness of computer conferencing depends on a balance of task design, facilitation and scaffolding of participant interactions so that higher order thinking can be achieved. Computer-Supported
Collaborative Argumentation for Learning Communities Knowledge Building
in TAPPED IN and ChemSense ABSTRACT: We are involved in two NSF-funded projects in which KBEs play an critical role: TAPPED IN, a community of about 6000 educators (Schlager, Fusco, & Schank, 1998; Schlager & Schank, 1997), and ChemSense, a new research and development project aimed at improving high school chemistry learning (Coleman, Schank, Kozma, & Coppola, 1999). At the KBE workshop, we will share the knowledge-building issues and findings that have emerged in our work, criteria we've used to evaluate and design KBE tools, and our current needs. We are particularly interested in potential collaborations with other developers to assemble an extensible architecture for KBEs (using XML, Java, the web, etc.). Cornerstones for
an On-line Community of Education Professionals In a prior issue of Technology and Society [1], McFarland argues that we should not view the Internet as a superhighway, but rather as a gathering place, or agora, that "brings people together, encourages participation, and supports creativity," a place that is "always growing, adapting, and changing in response to new ideas and initiatives." We agree with McFarland's metaphor and quibble with only one point. We believe that many of the key social issues raised by McFarland-what form of governance and facilities are needed to support cooperation and group work; how can people with similar interests find one another; how are the benefits and costs of the system shared equitably; and how to foster cooperation and trust-cannot be addressed solely at the level of the Internet as a whole. ScienceSpace: Virtual
Realities for Learning Complex and Abstract Scientific Concepts ABSTRACT: Three
virtual worlds have been built to investigate the effect of immersive,
multisensory computer-generated experiences on learning topics in science.
Currently targeted at high school and beginning college students, these
worlds address Newtonian mechanics, electrostatics, and molecular structure
and dynamics. Data has been collected on usability and learning through
questionnaires, pre- and post-tests, in situ prediction and experiment,
and post-session interviews. The results are not uniformly conclusive
but suggest that students can improve their mastery of abstract concepts
through the use of virtual environments that have been designed for learning.
Moreover, usability studies have identified many significant problems
that have been addressed in successive refinements of these worlds. Future
work will include collaborative learning studies (both local and distant),
use of intelligent agents, and comparison with two-dimensional microworlds.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITL) at the University of Washington to hold a three-day workshop on "The Impact of Three Dimensional Immersive Virtual Environments on Modern Pedagogy" in Seattle, Washington, and a three-hour mini-workshop at a Virtual Reality in Education and Training (VRET '97) Conference in Loughborough, England. The Seattle workshop brought together 35 educational technologists, teachers, cognitive scientists and specialists in global change from across the United States. This final report primarily is our effort to synthesize, distill and summarize the discussions and comments made by participants in the Seattle workshop. The Impact of Three-Dimensional
Immersive Virtual Environments on Modern Pedagogy The purpose of this paper is to get some ideas onto the table from which to begin our deliberations about using virtual reality and other technologies to teach about global climate change. This paper is not intended to propose an agenda. It does not pretend to be exhaustive or exclusive. Nor is it intended as a first draft of any final report we might write. I hope that there will be some discussion, clarification, rebuttal or rejection of the points below by email before we meet. In this paper I raise issues that I believe to be relevant to research concerning the potential of virtual reality to teach complex material. These include: Attributes of Virtual Reality (VR) and Virtual Environments (VEs), why we are focusing on Global Change as our subject matter, approaches to learning in VEs, student characteristics, and the risks of advocacy for VR. I hope that these thoughts will inspire debate and argument about the relative merits of VR for helping students learn science. Avatars, Identity
and Meta-Place: the Geography of a 3-D Virtual World of the Internet Explorations in
Alpha World: The Geography of 3-D Virtual Worlds on the Internet ABSTRACT: In this paper I will examine the geography of one particular type of virtual reality - virtual worlds. They are publicly available on the Internet and are designed for social interaction in real-time. The two key elements of these systems that move them beyond conventional computer-mediated communication channels into the realm of virtual reality are the shared graphical environment in which interaction takes place and the use of avatars to represent participants. The AlphaWorld virtual world is used as a case study. I describe both the social and physical geography of AlphaWorld, highlighting the particular characteristics of this type of virtuality and how it is being used by a distinct community of inhabitants. Euroland: Active
Knowledge Building Through Different Formats of Mediated Communication
Virtual Playground:
Architectures for a Shared Virtual World ABSTRACT: This paper describes a shared virtual world with four key goals: a reasonable economic model; low latency for world synchronization; a hospitable environment for users; and affordances for social interaction. The first goal is supported by examining economic issues related to the design of commercially viable 3D virtual environments including issues such as allowing use of currently developed Web based content. The second goal is supported by underlying network support that combines a mixed set of Internet protocols and a mixed model of a central server for universal resource management and multicast based transaction distribution. The final two goals are supported through architectural design patterns and a literature review of social issues and personal representation in virtual worlds. Virtual Organizations
and Virtual Worlds - A Case Study of AVATARS '98 ABSTRACT: The paper explores the links between social movements, virtual organizations and Virtual Worlds. In order to be successful, social movements need organizations to give them direction. There is a fast-growing movement of dedicated Internet users who want to colonize Cyberspace and transform it into a galaxy of interconnected Inhabited Virtual Worlds (IVW). The Contact Consortium (CCON) is one of the spearheads of that movement. Because there is not a utilitarian or power relationship between the movement and the organizations, it is only possible to give the movement direction if one can mobilize consensus and commitment. This type of organization was called 'normative' in organization science (Etzioni, 1968: 104), and would now be labeled 'virtual' or 'imaginary' (Hedberg et al., 1997). Because commitment and consensus are so important, it is vital that these organizations create, maintain and expand them. Large-scale events that inspire and mobilize the adherents are essential. For CCON, the annual conference fulfills this function. Because the people involved in CCON are spread all over the world, its last conference - and tradeshow - was held in Cyberspace. This paper describes this new application of the medium IVW. Furthermore, we compare this type of virtual meeting with others of its kind. The thought behind the comparison is that different technologies, which emerge in different social contexts, will tend to converge. After summarizing our experiences with this new use of the medium IVW, we argue in the closing section of the paper for inclusion of Groupware in Virtual World browsers. To make Virtual Worlds real 'worlds' in the philosophical sense, social technologies, which facilitate deliberation and even policymaking, should also be part of virtual life. How we became net
friends, and what we learned from it ABSTRACT: This paper is an auto ethnographic study of the development of a net friendship. One of the effects of the spreading use of Internet is that more and more people form relations between them without meeting face-to-face. Our goal has been to try to capture some of the specific characteristics of the development of such a friendship, with an emphasis on the interaction in virtual worlds. Much of the discussions in the paper are at some level connected to the question of what a net identity is and how it is constructed. Our main points are: Some personal traits are emphasized in virtual contexts and some are de-emphasized. But on the whole, the way a person is perceived is very different compared to meeting FtF. By restricting interaction to the exchange of ideas, without the burden of exposing ones physical characteristics opens for a more direct style of interaction. The virtual body is of importance for the perceived engagement of the virtual world experience and as a conveyor of emotions. It even mentally takes the place of the physical body. The way the technology is designed affects the form of the social interaction, but often in ways not predicted by the designer. The technology worked as a shield, but not between Vicki and Mike, but between Mike and his girlfriend. When we import props from the real world such as bodies and object, we also import meaning attached to them. Our conclusions are that net friendship is different from friendships in a physical setting in many ways. But there is nothing that indicates that the net friendship should be less real or important than its physical counterpart. This is perhaps best taken both as a promise and a warning. People who hope to use the net for real meaningful social interaction may be able to find what they are looking for, while people who wish to use the net for detached and non-committal adventures that they think will bear no consequences on their off-line existence should take this paper as a warning. Why Bill was killed
- understanding social interaction in virtual worlds ABSTRACT: This paper deals with how we should approach the sociology of virtual worlds on the Internet. I argue for the importance of establishing an inside view based on direct experiences of the phenomenon, to avoid the risks of drawing erroneous conclusions about virtual worlds based on the physical world, and not realizing that virtual worlds are full of real people engaged in real interaction. I present an incident from a world based on the Palace technology to examplify the following points: The social interaction is fundamentally different from interaction in the physical world. The interaction is real. The social structures are hierarchical. People are not anonymous. 3D Virtual Worlds
and Learning: An Analysis of the Impact of Design Affordances and Limitations
in Active Worlds, blaxxun interactive, and OnLive! Traveler; and A Study
of the Implementation of Active Worlds for Formal and Informal Education.
ABSTRACT: Within this decade there has been a proliferation of computer technologies that allow users to communicate and collaborate over time and space. These emerging technologies have had a great and resounding impact on the field of education by not only influencing practices within the classroom, but by expanding and challenging our notions of how we learn. During the past few years, educators have begun to experiment with the use of text-based virtual worlds to both supplement and expand classroom practices. While text-based virtual worlds offer many unique opportunities for collaborative and cooperative learning, they lack the visual opportunities afforded by such technologies as virtual reality. 3D virtual worlds represent an emerging technology that offers the communicative opportunities of text-based virtual worlds, but with a 3D environment that provides a visual representation of space and place for users to interact within. This thesis is a two-part study into the design and implementation of 3D virtual worlds for educational purposes. Part one of this study provides an analysis of the impact of design affordances and limitations of three popular 3D virtual worlds (Active Worlds, blaxxun interactive, and OnLive! Traveler) by addressing the way the user is constructed. This study relied on the use grounded theory methodology to analyze the various design features that serve to construct presence, representation, and embodiment of users. The findings indicated that although all three 3D virtual worlds had roughly comparable design affordances and limitations, each functions in different ways. In turn, it was revealed that these three worlds provide interesting and different potential as learning environments. Part two of this study is an investigation of how Active Worlds is currently being used for both informal and formal education. The two case studies provided in this investigation are an AW object modeling class offered by Active World University (informal) and an undergraduate business-computing course offered by the University of Colorado-Boulder College of Business (formal). Findings revealed that in both case studies the use of a 3D virtual world provided unique learning opportunities that would be difficult to replicate in a physical classroom. Implications of this study can be applied to the design, practice, and future research of the educational use of 3D virtual worlds |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| (c) 2001 Vlearn3D.org
VLearn3D is a Special Interest Group of the
Contact Consortium Design by Spinach & Salami |
