Today, I want to introduce an aged one -- Active World, would you like to guess in which year it lunched? Active world is a 3D virtual reality platform, which means you can use it to build your own virtual world.
Here is an example of how educators used Active World as an asynchronous formal learning environment. Researchers from University of Colorado-Boulder, use Active World as part of the Immersive Interactive Learning Environment for course: the Business Computing Skills 1000. The goal of this course is to develop students' business computing skills within a business-related context. And this course not only have this 3D virtual world, as a entry level course for undergraduate students, but also combines with the traditional classroom setting and the web-based environment.
Let us take a close look at what role does the 3D virtual world play in this course.
Just imagine when you click "Weekly Materials" in Blackboard under IDE611, and what you see is the virtual SU campus, when you "walk into" each building, you can find the web-link resources to aid you finish this week's discussion. And to the rear of each building is where you can talk and discuss with other students from IDE611, certainly not in person but through your avatar.
That is what Active World does for Business Computing Skills 1000. Each building in the virtual worlds stands for one application students need to learn in this course, within building is the resource they can use and the assignment for this application, there are public places they can talk about their assignment and cooperate to finish it.
Now we know that researchers in this project try to use Active World to organize materials of this course. For example, the location of each building has been placed stands for the learning sequence for the whole bunch of application students need to learn. And when students meet in open patios they can easily access the provided resources, just "walk" into the building. So students can read the same materials at the same time -- when they use the chat tool to communicate.
Some students in this course said they like this course because they do not need to go to school. But many students expresses when they study in this environment they feel like they are "at school" or "actually there".
After using Active World as part of the environment, this course become more popular and fewer students drop this course then before.
CLICK ME, if you want to know more about this research.
Very interesting- I'm guessing students enjoy the "virtual" layout more than a simple list of topics and public discussion board.
ReplyDeleteI agree, there must be novelty.
Deletewow, if i'm looking at this right was it initially released in 1995? That's crazy/awesome! I do think the best aspect of this virtual world is that it allows students to feel at school without really being 'at school'. It also helps with better communication. I was surprised to see such a complex and beneficial program like this that was created so early
ReplyDeleteYes, when I know when this one has been create, I can not believe it!
DeleteWhat a great way to extend the classroom to those that can't be there in a physical way for whatever reason. You mentioned avitars and I have kind of created mine but can you tell me more about avitars? I thought I was just my photo but think it's something a bit more. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAvitars are the characters in the virtual world, they present the users, in other words, a user will operate his/her avitar to do activities. In the virtual world context, a photo may not be an avitar, it depends on where and how you use the photo. If it shows up in the virtual world and present you, it is. If it just post in your profile, only when people click your profile they will see your photo, it is not.
DeleteThat's pretty amazing. I'm sure these students don't mind logging onto their "blackboard" to discuss and to get their weekly assignments done. You mentioned that in Active World, you can create your own virtual world? This would be beneficial for future architects I would think.
ReplyDeleteYes, it kind of likes a platform, users can build they are own world, a house, a school or hospital.
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