Thursday, December 10, 2009

Virtual environment in the classrooms

According to some educators, 3D web will become a way to enhance education. According to them, students can explore and have experiences that they would not have in any other way such as visiting the Sistine Chapel, universities or famous museums in other places. Before we can judge on whether or not these educators are right, let’s introduce how it works.
In most of the 3D or virtual worlds, visitors can create their avatar which is the 3D resident that represents them in these worlds. Visitors can choose their appearance and clothes that the avatar will use. Depending on the world that visitors choose, they will have access to different features. There is a list of 3D worlds that offer different features depending on the age of the visitors. Most of these worlds are not free. Either you pay a monthly fee or you have very limited features.
These worlds offer a whole new life on the web where you can chat, play games, meet new people and even find a significant other. Only a few of these worlds can be cataloged as educational resources since most of them offer games and entertaining activities that do not aim at learning goals that could be used in the classrooms. Out of several virtual worlds I found two that I would explore more in depth to see if they could be used in my future classrooms, Mokitown and Whyville.
Mokitown is for children from ages 8-12. Children learn about traffic safety among other things. They gain points by crossing the streets safely and by following traffic rules. I think this could be a good and fun activity for 2nd or 3rd graders.
Another option for upper elementary, middle, and early high school students would be Whyville. In Whyville students can do science projects. This world has some language filters but it is recommended that the students visit under parental supervision.
Even though the creators of these two sites built them while aiming for teaching goals, I still would have to go through them with caution. I can see the potential that 3D worlds could bring to the classrooms. I’ve heard that an image is worth more than a 1000 words. It could help to make our classroom more inclusive by helping those students that are spatial, visual, or kinesthetic learners. However, I still think that today’s educational systems are not ready for the available online worlds. They are not easy to monitor and they consume a lot of money and time.