Decided to get Mooc'ed
The theme was connecting online for collaborative learning and teaching through Second Life. The live presentations included speakers reflective process on teaching and learning in fully online and blended learning formats.
- Experience Life in Second Life
- Avatars will Present about their Lives in Second Life
- Learn how to Teach in Second Life
- Get Acquainted with Learning Environments in SL
I recently posted on the use of games in education and today another guide dropped across my browser that I thought would be a useful accompaniment to the toolkit.
I like this guide because use real-world examples of how game-based techniques can energise online learning programmes and make a positive, measurable impact. Some techniques (such as immersive 3D virtual environments) require substantial levels of investment, while others can be produced quickly and cost-effectively with just a little imagination, planning and game-based thinking. If you're interested in gamifying the provision of learning in your organisation, this guide will give you some useful food for thought.
A few thought provoking facts are included that I thought worth posting here:-
By 2014, more than 70% of Global 2000
organisations will have at least one
‘gamified’ application (Gartner).
By 2015, more than 50% of organisations
that manage innovation processes will
gamify those processes (Gartner).
The average game player today is 37
years old, and 42% of game players are
women (The Entertainment Software
Students recall just 10% of what they
read and 20% of what they hear. If
visuals accompany an oral presentation,
retention rises to 30%. If they do the job themselves,
even if only as a simulation, students
can remember 90% (the Federation of
American Scientists, 2006).
This guide covers:
Why use game-based learning?
Story, characters and goals
Avatars and reward systems
Leaderboards, competition and
Exploring virtual environments
Acknowledgements and further reading