eDNA Podcast: Second Life as an educational tool
eDNA has a fantastic podcast interview available featuring Lindy McKeown and Jo Kay covering use of Second Life in education. The interview discusses the pedagogical/learning models possible in SL, how they see its place relative to other technologies such as emerging social software (e.g. blogs and wikis), and more “traditional” eLearning applications such as Learning Management Systems; and some of the hurdles faced by educators in uptake and use of the application.
In some ways Second Life, and to a large degree social software/web 2.0 tech in general, epitomise the cultural shift currently occurring across higher education in which the so called “digital native” students are arriving in droves in a space occupied largely by educators with far less knowledge of emerging technology. The challenge for eLearning specialists and educational technologists then seems to be finding effective ways to bridge the gap in awareness, expectations, technical knowledge levels, and importantly comfort levels.
The later is arguably the most challenging issue.
For example, I first approached Second Life with a skeptic’s view of its use in education but I must admit my personal experiences, and those expressed in this podcast, have begun to change this perception recently.
Educators on the other hand are likely to be far more skeptical and reluctant than I - both from the standpoint of Second Life’s relevance to education and its similarity to online or MMORPG gaming and the necessary system resources necessary to participate in the world and construct its regions.
I think one of the key perceptional changes that will need to occur before these sorts of technologies are more widely adopted is a shift away from teacher-focused models (”I talk you listen“, and/or “Here is the lesson plan for the semester“) and more towards learner-lead exploratory models. This is where the delineation between the LMS and emerging technology such as social software and Second Life are the most pronounced and profound.
Any attempts to generically lump Second Life and virtual worlds with the LMS in the generic “I do eLearning basket” should be avoided. eLearning has well and truly reached the stage where the subtleties and sub-sets need to be recognised and factored into planning. The eLearning portfolio is now filled with a host of disparate systems, each of which offers its own strengths and weaknesses. It is not one-sized fits all.
In a virtual realm choice is king. Users have a myriad different options available to them and can explore just about anything they wish. The possibilities are virtually endless (no pun intended). So the sorts of formalised structures you see in an LMS will not translate well to virtual worlds. To do so would be a disservice to students and learners because it would constrain their opportunities, under-utilise the tool and devalue its potential.
To me this highlights the importance of modeling best practice by educational technologists and eLearning specialists. To effectively represent virtual worlds and properly demonstrate its potential from a learning and teaching standpoint, programs like Second Life must be shown to educators and not just explained. Trying to cover this realm on paper is like trying to explain a photograph. Even the most eloquent prose cannot fully depict the world; the experience itself is its own greatest advocate.
Even more important than demonstrating Second Life though is the fact it is essential that instructors and educators be encouraged to dive in and experiment for themselves. If we are to successfully make the shift from teacher-focussed to student-lead, instructors need to walk the same path to realise its value. Simply hearing the arguments is not good enough or effective enough.
References:
- Overview: Second Life as an educational tool: Episode 9
- The transcript of the podcast is available here: View Transcript
- Listen to the MP3 Episode9-E-learningInsights.mp3 9Mb
