Educational Discourse

This week has been busy beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve been taking part in George Siemen’s Connectivism online Conference which as has had me doing some deep thinking. I have also been able to spend some time in Second Life – and I’ve fallen in love.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I haven’t actually fallen in love with anyone – I’ve fallen in love with all the people there. It has been an amazing experience to dialogue with people from all over the world about educatonal issues. I’ve met students, professors, many librarians (they seem to collect there!), teachers, researchers, tech people, and scores of others who are in some way linked to learning.

Last night I went on a tour with a few people from the conference. We teleported from location to location with our guide, Desideria, leaving various landmarks so that we could go back and visit. As I grew comfortable with the various controls, I was able to begin exploring the other possiblilities that this land might offer. Now, a few of the other conference members have been visiting and discussing the possibilities of SL. As an administrator of a K – 12 school, I really don’t think this is the place I want to bring students at this point. Harvard University outdoor classroom

First, there needs to be more exploration of what it adds to learning in k – 12 education. Next, there would have to be dedicated areas for students to begin their exploration if for no other reason than to ensure they don’t bolt as soon as they arrive – I mean I had a really hard time staying with the tour I was on. It took all my concentration and focus not to just blast off and go about exploring. I was glad I stayed with the tour as I learned some key information but I’d have figured out most of it as I needed it. Thirdly, there are too many “adult” areas that students in K – 12 need not see. Not that this cannot be avoided, but it would definitely have to be discussed and something put in place. Finally, there would need to be some way of determining learning goals, outcomes and assessment. Yes, even with this, we must determine what is that we want students to understand, how do demonstrate that understanding and a way to determine how successful that has been.

Now, I’ve spent three quality visits to SL, earned some Lenten $ and been able to make some pretty interesting contacts. I’ve talked about learning and technology more in those sessions than in the weeks prior to my visits – including my blog entries. I’ve talked with people from Denmark, Spain, England, USA, other parts of Canada, Australia, Germany, Poland plus other countries that I can’t recall. I’ve met people from Stanford, Harvard, Oxford, UCLA and other secondary institutions. We’ve talked about the use of technology, our frustration with how things are going in our respective places and what the future might hold. We’ve also drank champagne, while typing which is a great feat! We’ve flown around, visited exotic places that have incredible sights – of course I cannot remember their names and didn’t take pictures but it was fantastic. I’ve danced like I’ve never danced and spent a great time doing so with about 55 other people that I had just met. It was a blast!! Where was I? Oh yeah, I’ve visited numerous libraries – this is going to be a readers paradise with all the libraries that are here. I’ve been to a few universities and seen some exotic places near the coast.
As for the application for school – I’d say not much right now. The cool factor would be great but besides that we can do much more with other forms of technology like wikis and blogs. Until there is a serious look by the K – 12 education systems, not just lone teachers wandering about trying to find things, the world of SL will remain the domain of the universities and their students for learning projects and adults from various locales. I believe we might be able to do some great things with classes meeting and doing discussions and discovery learning as long as they are in similar time zones. Until we can figure out how to squeeze time, we’re still bound by time – both here and in SL.

For anyone who hasn’t tried this out, give it a shot. You’ll need a fairly new computer as the demands are very high. Don’t be afraid to talk to people. I’ve found most of them friendly, except for that bouncer in the nightclub but that’s a whole other story! Try teleporting to different places to see what the people are like and what is going on. Make it an adventure. I know that is how I’ve treated it and I’ve not been disappointed. It can be addicting, just like gaming, so you need to limit your time, put up boundaries and watch how you spend you time. For me, I set out a time limit, define where I am going and choose if I’m going to go to meet friends or look for certain things. It can be har not to go dancing with friends, just like in real life but if you have a specific plan, be sure to stick with it. Otherwise, you end up spending hours there, looking at the clock to find it is 3:00 AM! 6:45 comes very quickly when that happens.

As I explore, I’ve quit worrying or trying to figure out how this can be used educationally. Some times we have to do things just for ourselves and I find SL to be just that for right now. There, it’s always warm not -25 Celcius, the people are friendly and there are no responsibilities like I have here. Just enjoy the freedom for freedom sake – that’s what kids do! Be a kid if just for a moment. And when online, look for Kelv Chevalier.