Last week I wondered if we were “playing school” and after promised to consider some advantages of SL that are unique to this world.
The The Daedelus Project and related links provided some insight on motivation. Data suggests that identifying with an avatar increases motivation and that students may share a common bond as they assist each other inworld and there does seem to be a connection between inworld users at the same learning level. Moreover, trying to figure out how to customize and change the avatar seems to increase one’s investment in the experience.
It seems that SL increases motivation but directing this motivation toward learning remains a challenge.
Its very interesting, for example, to find the power point displays in the clouds but they are terribly cumbersome to watch. I felt like I was logging into a virtual world on a high speed computer so I could experience the thrill of watching a slides on modem What happens when the novelty wears off?
All of our slides could have been zipped and emailed or delivered on a 2D web site. So, I can see the motivation that the Daedelus project discusses but I wonder if it has an expiration date.
1 response so far ↓
1
Mali
// Sep 26, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Interesting questions you pose. There is definitely a novelty feature, and at times, it has already worn off for me. Then, after taking a break, I suddenly find myself interested again for new reasons. I haven’t read a lot about this phenomenon and would like to find out more.
On one level, yuou are right about the slideshows being zipped. I suppose one advantage of putting them on display, however, is that they become available to any visitor who might come to the island. And that the ability to email the author is there. And the potential to make connections, network, inform someone else’s thinking, etc. does have a value beyond the work itself.
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