D. Sampson 24 April 2014 University of Piraeus Department of Digital Systems Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas (CE.R.T.H.) Information Technologies Institute (I.T.I.) Advanced Digital Systems and Services for Education and Learning (ASK) 1/55 3D Virtual Worlds in Education and Training Demetrios G. Sampson Department of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Greece & Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0 or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
Demetrios G Sampson - 3D Virtual Worlds in Education and Training - The IEEE International conference on Technology for Education (T4E 2011), Chennai, India, 14-16 July 2011 [Invited Speech]
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D. Sampson 24 April 2014
University of Piraeus
Department of Digital Systems
Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas (CE.R.T.H.)
Information Technologies Institute (I.T.I.)
Advanced Digital Systems and Services for Education and Learning (ASK)
1/55
3D Virtual Worlds in Education and Training
Demetrios G. Sampson
Department of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Greece &
Information Technologies Institute, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial License. To view a copy of this
license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/1.0 or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott
Centre for Research and Technology – Hellas (CE.R.T.H.)
Information Technologies Institute (I.T.I.)
Advanced Digital Systems and Services for Education and Learning (ASK)
9/55
3D Virtual Worlds are rich, engaging, immersive, motivating and highly interactive environments as
compared to traditional 2D Web-based Environments, that bare the potential to offer unique learning and
teaching opportunities, since
(a) re-enforce the sense of presence, (b) are immediate, (c) can be adaptable, (d) offer the possibility to simulate the “real” world and beyond, (e) offer the possibility to
create new experiences that may not be possible or may be difficult to represent in the “real” world, (f)
could be offered for experimentation and (g) allow for synchronous communication and collaboration
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Introduction: Virtual Worlds in Real Education
• Today, the emergence of technologies, such as 3D Virtual Worlds (VWs), which provide realistic three-dimensional environments and offer engaging, interactive and immersive experiences, creates new opportunities for teaching and learning.
• During the past years, several researchers have recognized the educational potential of 3D VWs. Furthermore, the increased interest of exploiting 3D VWs in education, has led to the development of educational tools and applications which aim to integrate existing learning technologies (such as Course Management Systems) in 3D VWs infrastructure (such as Second Life (SL)).
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Problem Definition: VW in Teachers’ CPD
• There are research studies that focus specifically on teachers’ experiences either through using 3D VWs in their teaching activities or through their participation in 3D VWs supported Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
• These studies indicate issues, such as
• the extra pressure applied to teachers who teach within 3D VWs and
• the lack of understanding of the new possibilities offered by 3D VWs in teaching and learning.
• Thus, we should take into account that the possible use of 3D VWs is a major challenge for teachers, since they introduce new concepts that go far beyond the technical skills that a teacher has to acquire to teach within a certain Virtual Worlds (i.e., Second Life).
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ASK Teachers’ CPD Module on VW
• There is a need for Teachers’ CPD Modules and Programmes that aim to develop appropriate competences for real life teaching supported by VWs.
• Within this context, we propose the development of a module in Teachers’ CPD programs that aim • to support teachers understand the key concepts related to
3D VWs
• explore the new possibilities that 3D VWs present for teaching and learning
• equip them with useful competences for teaching within 3D VWs.
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Step 1 – Identify the key concepts related to using 3D VWs for teaching and learning
3D VWs are rich, engaging, immersive, motivating and highly interactive environments and they offer unique learning and teaching opportunities, since (a) recreate the sense of presence, (b) are immediate, (c) are adaptable, (d) offer the possibility to simulate the “real” world, (e) offer the possibility to create new experiences that may not be possible or may be difficult to represent in the “real” world, (f) could be offered for experimentation and (g) allow for synchronous communication and collaboration (Eshenbenner etal 2008)
Thus, these characteristics can be considered as the key concepts that would be important to be understood by school teachers who want to exploit 3D VWs in their educational practices.
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Step 3 – Design a module for Teachers CPD Programmes (Select the Appropriate Instructional Strategy) (1/3)
• The participants of the proposed module should be selected
school teachers, who are experienced in using digital technologies both in their life and in their educational practices. It is also anticipated that they present high motivation and interest in their continuing professional development and appreciate the potential value of innovative digital technologies for education.
• The instructional strategy of “Synectics - Making the Strange Familiar” is defined as “a strategy for making the students understand and internalize new or difficult concepts and ideas, through the use of analogies between concepts or ideas which are familiar to the students to the new concepts or ideas presented”.
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Step 3 – Design a module for Teachers CPD Programmes (Select the Appropriate Instructional Strategy) (2/3)
• On the other hand, Teachers’ Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) involves among others enabling school teachers to relate their previous experiences to new concepts, ideas and/or procedures in order to develop their competences .
• Thus the proposed module is designed based on “Synectics” considering that
• the “strange” part of the analogy is teaching within 3D VWs
• the “familiar” part of the analogy is teachers’ competencies in teaching within a “traditional” classroom.
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Step 3 – Design a module for Teachers CPD Programmes (Select the Appropriate Instructional Strategy) (3/3)
This is based on the design assumption that the use of the
instructional strategy “Synectics - Making the strange Familiar” is appropriate for support teachers in:
• understanding the unfamiliar concepts presented in 3D VWs by exploring the similarities and the differences between a “traditional” classroom and a 3D Virtual Classroom, and
• designing simple educational activities by transferring their previous teaching experiences and ideas using the tools available in a 3D Virtual Classroom.
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Step 3 – Design a module for Teachers CPD Programmes (Phases and Educational Activities) (1/2)
• The proposed module consists of seven phases that comprise of
different educational activities.
• During the first five phases the 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation, is proposed to be used to demonstrate the strange part of the analogy, that is, teaching within the 3D Virtual Classroom.
• Whereas during the next two phases the teachers will interact within the 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation to explore the analogy on their own and generating their own analogies, that is, to transform educational activities designed for “traditional” classrooms to educational activities designed for the 3D Virtual Classroom.
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Step 4 – 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation Implementation (1/3)
• The school teachers’ educational and assessment activities are facilitated by a 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation designed using SLOODLE (Simulation Linked Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) which enables the integration of SL and Moodle.
• We present the design of our 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation and justify how it serves the educational and assessment activities of our proposed Teachers’ CPD Module
• First, we present and discuss the characteristics and functionalities of Second Life and SLOODLE which we consider that can be exploited to highlight the concepts related to the exploitation of 3D Virtual Worlds for teaching and learning.
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Step 2 – Create a Classroom Building (1/4)
• The main idea for the outer building that holds our 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation was to feature transparent glasses that let the students see the outside while participating in the educational activities (as shown in picture) but also rooms that will not be visible from outsiders (e.g. classroom management room)
• Thus, we have used objects presenting glass, stone, steel and wood textures to create the building that features the different rooms of our 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation
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Step 2 – Create a Classroom Building (3/4)
• The interior of the building presents four different rooms (Lectures Room, Lab, Library, Assessment/Quiz Room) which feature tools that can support different types of educational activities. It should be mentioned that all tools are set as free to manipulate and reconfigure to support experimentation
• Moreover, except for the rooms supporting educational activities there is a specific room, namely Classroom Management Room that allows teachers’ to customize the 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation as they like
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The tools and objects
presented in the Lectures Room
are:
1. Metalabs Whiteboard 2. Web Browser (Preconfigured to
show SlideShare) 3. Integrated Web Browsers on
Students desks 4. SLOODLE Toolbar to allow different
types of gestures 5. Chairs and Desks 6. Informative Notecards
The Lectures Room design (as shown in Figure) is consistent with the proposed teachers’ CPD module since it provides a place that simulates a familiar real-life lecture room, but also provides enhanced abilities related to the identified affordances of 3D Virtual Worlds for Education.
are given a familiar environment in which they can do
their lectures
interact with a predefined proposed setting of doing their lectures in a 3D VW
can modify it according to their preferences (this applies to all the rooms)
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The Lab Room design (as shown in Figure) is consistent with the proposed teachers’ CPD module since it presents tools that provide teachers’ with additional opportunities that may not be applicable in a real-life traditional classroom.
The tools and objects presented in the Lab
are:
1. SLOODLE Choice (Participate in Polls) 2. Desktop PC (For teachers) 3. Laptops (For students) 4. SLOODLE Vending Machine 5. SLOODLE PrimDrop (Assignments) 6. SLOODLE Web Intercom (Chat) 7. Rolling Chairs and Desk 8. Globe with Integrated Google Maps
the Deskop PC is actually a web interface that allows teachers to provide their students with educational material
the Laptops are actually SLOODLE PrimDrop tools that support assignments
Google Maps or other maps (e.g. Second Life Map) are presented as a Globe Object
the Desktop PCs’ keyboard is actually a Vending Machine that stores and sends objects, tools and material
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The tools and
objects presented
in the Library
are:
1. SLOODLE Web Intercom (Chat)
2. SLOODLE Vending Machine 3. SLOODLE MetaGloss
(Glossary) 4. Bookcases 5. Meeting Table
The Library is able to support our proposed module as it provides configured versions of each one of the tools that simulate their real intended use. More specifically:
the Meeting Table is a SLOODLE Web Intercom Tool (Chat) that allows to chat and record the conversations
one of the Bookcases is a SLOODLE Vending Machine providing access to books and notecards
the other Bookcase is a SLOODLE MetaGloss tool providing
access on demand to definitions of pre-specified concepts
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The tools and
objects presented
in the Room are:
1. SLOODLE Tool Generator 2. Preconfigured Tools
Vending Machine 3. Web Interface for in-world
Moodle Management (Control Panel)
4. Informative Notecards
The Classroom Management Room design is consistent with the proposed teachers’ CPD module since it provides teachers with the ability to create tools and upload their own educational content in the 3D VCS.
The SLOODLE Tool Generator allows teachers to create their own SLOODLE Tools and configure them
the Preconfigured Tools Vending Machine provides teachers with pre-configured tools available within
the 3D VCS
The Web Interface allows teachers to create and/or configure Moodle activities without the need of getting out of the 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation
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Step 5 – Present Additional Tools (2/3)
Quiz Hud • Helps the Avatars Explore a Place • Provides Information about a Place or a Specific Object • Teachers’ can use the Web Interface to set descriptions about Objects and
Places • Allows the Creation of Interactive Quizzes
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SLOODLE Tracker • Lets the Teachers’ define Specific Tasks and their Descriptions • Lets the Teachers’ create objects which when are used set a specific Task as
Completed • Depicts the Level of Completion of a Task
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Interacting within the 3D VCS
Each task that is presented in the SLOODLE Tracker System represents the potential interactions that are supported within the 3D VCS. More specifically, these tasks describe interactions such as:
a) the interaction of the teachers with the SLOODLE Access Checker Door that results to the provision of access,
b) the interaction with the Whiteboard which can be the transfer of educational resources (in the form of slides) and their presentation to others,
c) the interaction with the different virtual objects contained in the 3D VCS rooms which provide the teachers’ with valuable information about their characteristics and potential use, and
d) the interaction with the tools presented in order to support different educational activities within the 3D VCS
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Conclusions
• 3D VWs is a digital technology that bares the potential to provide benefits in teaching and learning.
• While its educational value is still under investigation, we can certainly claim that the key 3D VWs concepts may seem “unfamiliar” even to teachers who are experienced and keen on using digital technologies.
• This paper has proposed a module for Teachers CPD supported by a 3D Virtual Classroom Simulation that is based on “Synectics – Making the strange familiar” instructional strategy and aims to
• to support school teachers in understanding the key concepts related to 3D VWs,
• explore the new possibilities that 3D VWs present for teaching and learning and