Technology & Learning November 2007 - (Page 29) The multiuser virtual world of Second Life is an environment where educators can network and share resources. A Sampling of Virtual Learning Tools and Schools Adobe Connect www.adobe.com/products/connect/ ANGEL Learning www.angellearning.com/ ATutor www.atutor.ca/ Blackboard www.blackboard.com Claroline.net www.claroline.net/ Connections Academy www.connectionsacademy.com Dokeos www.dokeos.com/ Elluminate www.elluminate.com Florida Virtual School www.flvs.net Master of Science in Education, Option in Online Teaching and Learning—Cal State East Bay www.ce.csueastbay.edu/degree/ education/faqs.shtml Moodle http://moodle.org My eCoach http://my-ecoach.com NACOL—North American Council for Online Learning www.nacol.org Online Internet Institute www.oii.org Sakai www.sakaiproject.org/ Second Life http://secondlife.com Tapped In http://tappedin.org/tappedin/ University of Phoenix www.universityofphoenix.com/ Virtual Learning Resources Center www.virtuallrc.com/ text to create dynamic learning communities” using today’s tools such as blogs, wikis, and social networking. Ferdi Serim, OII co-founder explains, “We were the first cohort of online professional development funded by NSF. Since we did that 11 or 12 years ago, we were waiting for the type of capability that is widely available now.” As the “first organization that was formed online before it existed on the ground,” OII provided a unique service. A number of collaborators who were quite active bringing the Internet to classrooms saw the need for teachers to learn how to use the potential even if they could not meet face-to-face to discuss the issues. Second Life, a multiuser virtual environment (MUVE), is a 3-D virtual world that boasts more than 10 million “residents” from around the world who create virtual spaces for a variety of purposes. Serim is a proponent of Second Life as a professional development tool. He explains that the added dimension of a visual setting increases the depth of the experience. Educational organizations such as the International Society for Technology in Education have spaces in Second Life for lectures, participatory exchanges, social networking, and tools such as the new Emerging Technologies Task Force Idea Library. Conversations between K–12 and higher education, between content and technology developers, between theorists and practitioners are fostered. For those who might be reluctant to try something new such as Second Life or who feel overwhelmed with the variety of emerging technologies, Serim says, “Become comfortable that you don’t know something. Go to the places that artists go every day to help bring artistry into teaching. Provide for innovation and creativity—we don’t have those spaces in schools. Having the creative and innovative space in the online world opens up possibilities, and we can’t get to these new places using the model we’ve always used.” After all, Serim continues, “Learning is a journey, not a destination. Many travelers right now are in discovery mode, and exploring tools like SL is how we’re going to get there—it’s going to be a group that gets there, not a single person who will define a formula.” Our challenge is to explore and adapt the tools, and participate in the online, worldwide discussions about how they can improve teaching and learning—our own, and our students’. Sara Armstrong, PhD, is an education consultant. Her Web site is http:// sgaconsulting.org/. Technology & Learning November 2007 | 29 http://www.adobe.com/products/connect/ http://www.angellearning.com/ http://www.atutor.ca/ http://www.blackboard.com http://www.Claroline.net http://www.claroline.net/ http://www.connectionsacademy.com http://www.dokeos.com/ http://www.elluminate.com http://www.flvs.net http://www.ce.csueastbay.edu/degree/education/faqs.shtml http://www.ce.csueastbay.edu/degree/education/faqs.shtml http://moodle.org http://my-ecoach.com http://www.nacol.org http://www.oii.org http://www.sakaiproject.org/ http://secondlife.com http://tappedin.org/tappedin/ http://www.universityofphoenix.com/ http://sgaconsulting.org/ http://sgaconsulting.org/ http://www.virtuallrc.com/
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.