Learners must balance life responsibilities with the demands of learning.

Learner are autonomous and self directed.

Learners have a tremendous amount of life experiences.  They need to connect the                  learning to their knowledge base.  They must recognize the value of the learning.

Learners are goal oriented and know for what purpose they are learning new information.

Learning is self-initiated and tends to last a long time.

Adults as learners take on a great deal of responsibility for learning themselves.  This greatly alters the role of teacher in the learning environments in general but virtual worlds specifically.

Collaborative learning or cooperative learning was another learning theory cited by respondents as most often applied to the design of the learning program in Second Life.  The lecture, listening and note taking lives along side other processes are are based in student discussion and active work with the course content/ materials.  The design of the course is to ensure an intellectual experience for the students and emergent learning processes are identified..however key to the learning process is the discussion. (Macgregor and Smith, 1992, retrieved from http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/collab.pdf)

The interactive environment of Second Life lends itself very well to the application of collaborative learning.  The benefits of this learning theory is viewed as freeing up professors from lecturing and allow them time to collaborate with students, enables students to collaborate with other independent of time and geography and provides a new mode for the production of knowledge.   (Tapscott, Don and Williams, Anthony, Educause Review 2010, 45, 1, January 2010)

Those examples of collaborative learning include any activities in which students work together to achieve a common goal.  These learning opportunities maybe well suited to role play, creation of learning objects, and communication activities.   Second Life provides many tools which may support the student in achieving the learning outcomes of a collaborative learning activity these include the communication tools, any activity in which they can create content in world, and the use of the group tools to support and encourage group and team work.

Collaborative learning theory is built upon those tenets of quality that we review in distance education these include student to student communication, student to content, and student to faculty.  These learning activities are illustrated as below:

The model above identifies several avenues of social interchange which seems to support the respondents observations regarding social learning theory.  Bandura identified and defined social learning theory in 1977 as the, “importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others….further

In addition to this, due to the rich immersive experience of being in virtual worlds experiential learning seems to be a logical choice for designing learning activities in virtual worlds.  Kolb defined experiential learning as follows: “experiential learning theory defines learning as ‘the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping and transforming experience’”(Kolb 1984, p. 41, retrieved from http://www.d.umn.edu/~kgilbert/educ5165-731/Readings/experiential-learning-theory.pdf, 2/10/10).  Fernwick, in 2007, identified the five dimensions of experiential learning as purpose, interpretation, engagement, self, and context.

Finally several respondents noted connectivism as a learning theory to be applied to designing course activities in virtual worlds.  Connectivism is a learning theory that should be at the forefront of learning in this digital age.  Defined by Siemens and Downes it takes into account the impact that advances in educational technology has had on how we learn.  (Siemens, 2005, retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm 2/10/10).

Siemens, 2005, further describes connectivism as the integration of eprinciples explored chaos, network and complexity and self organization theories.  He identified the following:

Principles of connectivism:

• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

Connectivism lends itself very well to the current wave of information, social networking, technology, and change that we experience on a daily basis.  How this theory will allow us as learners and teachers apply the appropriate tools that we need to in order to learn is critical to assisting learners in achieving their goals.  Applying the environment of Second Life to facilitate learning, achieve the aim of decision making as a learning process and making effective decisions  is critical, however those opportunities are there as one engages in the virtual environment.

Putting the onus of learning on the student in student centered learning versus teacher centered learning requires a more consistent method of providing a means for the student to gather feedback on his/her progress in achieving the learning outcomes.  It is the learning outcomes that are fundamental to the assessment process.  The feedback or assessment that should be consistent, constant, and non intrusive to the student accessing the content or activiites he or she needs, and allow the student with the opportunity to apply new knowledge as well as prior learning.

Even if an individual goes off on his/her own explorations in the virtual world he or she can maintain connections with their group, engaged in the environment and observing the creation of objects and how they were designed by others.  They can communicate their findings back to their core group, ask questions of the builder who designed the object, can evaluate the object, and monitor, based upon the feedback if their activities are achieving the course or program learning outcomes. Essentially successfully achieving the outcomes is demonstrated by how successful the student is in demonstrating what he/she has learned, how they communicate their activities, and how they can demonstrate what they have learned to real life and virtually.

It is apparent that those who design learning experiences in virtual worlds can identify those practices which lend themselves best to the opportunities provided in Second Life for education.  Understanding the basic fundamentals of learning theories helps the educator best craft a learning “blueprint,” which justifies and drives the learning activities for students.  This justification is critical for students to grasp immediately and thereby makes their experience that much richer.  Getting students comfortable in Second Life as soon as  possible is essential so they can get beyond learning the basic fundamentals of navigation, communication and the culture so they can quickly access what they need to learn is critical.

Bandura, A. (1977), Social Learning Theory, as retrieved from http://tip.psychology.org/bandura.html.

Fenwick, Tara J, & Gouthro, Patricia (REVIEWER). (2004). Learning through experience: troubling orthodoxies and intersecting questions Review of the Learning through experience: troubling orthodoxies and intersecting questions Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 50(2), 211-214.  Retrieved February 10, 2010, from CBCA Complete.

Holistic. (2007, February 22). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:25, February 11, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Holistic&oldid=110097300

Kolb, David A.., Boyatzis, Richard, Mainemelis, Charalampos, Experiential Learning Theory:
Previous Research and New Directions R. J. Sternberg and L. F. Zhang (Eds.), Perspectives on cognitive, learning, and thinking styles. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000.

Macgregor, Jean, Smith, Barbara; What is Collaborative Learning? retrieved from http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/collab.pdf 2/10/10.

Siemens, George,Connectivism:A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, 2004, retrieved from Elearnspace, http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm).

Tapscott, Don and Williams, Anthony,Innovating the 21st-Century University: It’s Time!.  Educause Review, 45, 1.

Virtual world. (2010, February 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:24, February 11, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virtual_world&oldid=342452412

The following is a synthesis of observations of three resources on virtual worlds, specifically Second Life, and how this medium can be applied to education, training, and learning. This is my initial presentation using these resources, it is a “mash-up” if you will, to determine if these is a common theme or thread that can be identified and defined as a best practice(s) in using Second Life for education. The three sources I have identified for this initial paper are: Commentary: Virtual Planning and the Online Studio by Justan B. Hollander, David Thomas from the Journal of Planning Education and Research 2009, Avatars, People and Virtual Worlds, Foundations for Research in the Metaverse, Alanah Davis, John Murphy, Dawn Owens, Depepak Khazanchi and Ilze Zigurs, in the February 2009 Journal of Virtual Worlds Research and finally Thomas Malaby’s book Making Virtual Worlds: Linden Lab and Second Life.

A review of the Malaby’s book is helpful. Malaby does a fine job of exposing the inner workings of Linden Labs, the history and the culture of the business. It is in this context the mission, the vision and the overall philosophy of Linden Labs that one can begin to design a strategy for applying the use of Second Life as a learning environment. In determining the appropriate use of Linden Labs in education presenting the mission of Second Life/Linden Labs seems key: “It is our mission to connect us all to an online world that advance the human condition.” Another, what I term “philosophical statement’ identified by Malaby is “The eye observes the world, the hand shapes it. For this reason many cultures embrace the eye-in-hand as a symbol of creation that springs from knowledge as do we. Take it as your invitation to create a Second Life that inspires ever more wonder, ever more imagination.” In the context of two statements it is little wonder that Second Life is finding itself as the virtual world of choice for educators. After all what is the purpose of education but to inspire wonder and create motivation for individuals to seek more knowledge and create more knowledge?

Holland and Thomas sought to pursue answers to the following concerns:

Furthermore the question may be asked in this context: Can learning be designed in virtual worlds to provide a sense of engagement and presence that maybe lacking in a “traditional learning management system?”

The methodology of this research required that students keep journals, observations, end of semester course evaluations, with both closed and open ended questions. The students were also asked to wrote a final essay evaluating their learning experiences using Second Life. Finally the 71 students involved in the program were required to address a last essay question detailing their experiences in Second Life. The findings of this research were based upon the following:

This study sought to address the benefits of using Second Life in these specific areas:

Ultimately the researchers noted that the “biggest strength of Second Life is also its biggest weakness,” this being the unstructured environment this world provides. This lack of structure which may prove to be a barrier to some also proves to provide an environment that facilitates invention and creativity. In providing a 3D environment for learning what sort of advantages does Second Life offer beyond programs such as Sketchup and AutoCad? The authors noted that ..”Such programs pale in that regard in comparison with what Second Life offers: it creates a forum for exploring planning and design as social interactions and processes, rather than as simply knowledge and technique. Second Life goes beyond
visualization to a unique quality: virtualization, introducing the user to a real-time virtual 3-D environment that can be a powerful learning tool.”

In the Davis, et. al., article the researchers sought to identify the following:

This article meshes well with the Holland and Thomas article because to seeks to identify strategies that facilitate team collaboration and work in the metaverse, furthermore their research seeks to identify those technical challenges that may impede the progress in these areas. The researchers identified several dimensions which are critical to facilitating teamwork in the virtual environment these are: presence, communication, technology, rendering, interaction, and team process. Each of these are defined as:

Presence:

In review it is evident that it was not the mission of Linden Labs/Second Life to provide the design or game design to users to address and solve problems. Instead Linden Labs provides the means to allow user to be creative in designing their own space, groups, communicating, and games. The user has to stratgize how to implement these. It goes without saying that in achieving this aim users are challenged, the platform is sometimes not malleable in meeting these demands, however there is evidence of success. Recognition goes to those users who are savvy enough to use the tools available to them to be creative, to be innovative and develop a learning environment that meets the needs of their students. In reflection I now recognize that Second Life will not give you a “cookie cutter” approach to addressing the needs for presence, communication, technology, how to develop teams and team processes..but will provide you with the tools and the expectation that you, as user, will design those aspects to best meet your needs.

When I first came into Second Life I was totally lost, I am not a “gamer” and didn’t have a clue what to expect from participation in a three dimensional virtual world.  Now I know enough to know that my Second Life “rez day” is August 1, 2008.  Looking back I laugh, I am not sure but I think it took me a month just to get off orientation island in Second Life, wandering around some darkened city streets, and falling into a “water way” about 20 times while at a live music event.  It wasn’t until I was motivated to look around and evaluate Second Life as a platform for education and learning through my job that I took an active interest in Second Life.  At that point I mad a few investments in my learning about virtual worlds like buying a few books such as Second Life for Dummies, Second Life Grid, and a variety of blogs, research and articles.  In addition to this I joined the active and informative Second Life Educators List Serve and the Second Life Education Roundtable.  In addition to this I quickly learned that there were free classes in Second Life and participating in the Virtual World’s Best Practices in Education as a volunteer.  And while all of these activities were good they did not give me the level of breadth and depth that I was seeking in learning about virtual worlds in general and Second LIfe Specifically.

Because of my first experiences I am excited to write about  John Jamison, Imagilearning and my SLemester Experience colleagues.  It seems like just yesterday that I signed up for the SLemester, but in so many ways, in the rapidly evolving landscape of social networking, virtual worlds, and technology it seems ages ago.  Being a part of Imagilearning and connecting with John has really helped me better understand Second Life.   Before I knew about Imagilearning and the SLemester Experience I learned about John Jamison through his dissertation which I downloaded for review in my quest to learn more about the use of Second Life as a platform for learning and education.

John Jamison is an educator, innovator and researcher in the design, use and application of Second Life for education, training and business. His dissertation, published in 2008, makes John a pioneer in the field of research in virtual worlds.  To date, much that has been done is still based upon assumptions, speculations and little solid research and observations.  John’s dissertation, “Education in a Strange Land, The Experience of Traditional Education When Immersed in Virtual Environment of Second Life,” identified four themes;  social interactivity, environmental adjustment, learning curve and personal reason. I also came to gain more insight about John’s level of knowledge and professionalism by his input and participation on the SLED list serve and this is how I learned about the SLemester Experience.  When John posted that he was starting up the next session of the SLemester I decided, without hesitation,  to join up.  Since that time, May 2009, I have learned a great deal, had the opportunity to engage with others who share an interest in Second Life, and become fully immersed with them in this environment.

By the time I started in the Slemester program I knew a little about several different things in Second Life: shopping (of course!), buying and selling land, setting up groups, communication, terraforming, building, navigation I didn’t know how to do any of it very well..and there are always better ways of doing things in Second Life and John is the “go to guy” for this type of knowledge.  Through my participation in the SLEmester I learned about these skills as well as the inner workings and history of Second Life, through Johnm  a long time Second Life resident. In addition to this I have had the opportunity to engage in a dialogue with colleagues from all over the world because of my participation in the SLemester Experience.   These discussions take us in many directions from talking about books, the future of education and social networking, media as well as challenges faced by virtual worlds in a global environment.   It goes without saying that I signed up for SLEmester II without thinking twice!  I couldn’t wait for it to get started. However even more meaningful than that is the enduring connection that I now have with John Jamison and Imagilearning, his support on a research project I am working on in education and the future of education in Second Life.

But John Jamison’s Imagilearning is much more than the SLemester Experience. According to the Imagilearning website the mission of  this enterprise is:

In addition to the SLEmester Experience sessions one and two John also provides several consulting opportunities in education and training not just in the virtual environment but techniques and knowledge on creating environments in which learning occurs for the student.  Further information regarding Imagilearning can also be found  on this Ning Site:  http://futureoflearning.ning.com/, engage in a dialogue with other colleagues in order to learn about the best practices of teaching and learning in virtual worlds.  John has a cadre of Second Life, social  networking, business and education experts to draw upon to consult and meet your training needs.

As I  have considered the use of Second Life (SL) as a platform or ‘content delivery” medium I came to the realization that we cannot really  determine the potential  or effectiveness of Second Life for learning/education until we can define what SL is and what it does.   How we define Second Life will prove to be the foundation upon which  education approaches the virutal world.  The institution should understand the potential of  Second Life as a framework for their campus activities, to enhance student learning, improve the quality of distance education delivery, and provide a venue upon which the instructor can delivery their knowledge and course content with confidence knowing that students are achieving the established learning outcomes for the course.

The definitions of what Second Life is varies depending on who is identifying it Linden Labs defines Second Life as a place to connect, shop, work, love, explore, be different, ..further definitions are that it is “a online 3D virtual world imagined and designed by you. From the moment you enter Second Life, you’ll discover a universe brimming with people and possibilities…” Other definitions are as varied as the sites where I found them such as WiseGeek, “Second Life is a three-dimensional virtual community created entirely by its membership. Members assume an identity and take up residence in Second Life, creating a customized avatar or personage to represent themselves. The avatar moves about in the virtual world using mouse control and intuitive keyboard buttons.”

A richer definition comes from the Diplomacy Island website regarding their current roll out of a Second Life presence:   “Second Life ( SL) is an Internet-based virtual world …. The users, or Residents, interact with each other through mobile avatars, providing an advanced level of social network services. They can explore, meet other Residents, socialize, participate in educational and social activities both individually and in groups, and create and trade virtual property and services with one another.”

The author of the Second Life Grid, Kimberly Rufer-Bach defines Second Life as:  ” a platform that provide users the ability to create public or secure 3D online virtual spaces or to visit and use spaces created by others. Stated in his book that Good projects for the grid are imemersive, interactive, and social.  SL offers 3D Graphics, the option to communicate via text or voice, customer immersive environments (which can be developed inexpensively and quickly) pre-exising content,a community of educators and Residents, streaming media, and the ability to log in from anywhere to interact with people far away. ”

From Ultraviolit the definition is: that Second Life is  100% end user driven, and participation is required in everything from designing and building the world to exploring and interacting with it. Second Life represents a view of a true virtual participation economy, one that is global, 24×7, and is useful for everything from real world business to user built gaming to fantasy role play and everything in between.

From PC Magazine Encyclopedia:  A virtual world on the Internet from Linden Research, Inc., San Francisco, CA (www.lindenlab.com), in which “residents” create an identity, meet people, buy land and build their own environment or purchase an existing one. It is a “massively mult-player online role playing game” (MMORPG), but one that offers users total freedom to create and interact as if they were living another life. Playing the game requires a client download for Windows, Mac or Linux.

From Virtual Worlds Review the definition is that “Second Life is a highly imaginative, creative environment…  the (creative nature) conveys the idea that this is more of a rich, complex online experience

The editors of the Journal of Virtual World Research presented that “Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) such as Second Life®, OpenSim and Active Worlds (http://www.activeworlds.com/) offer new collaboration and immersed teaching and learning opportunities…”

From his article Jace Hargis from his article in the Turkish Journal of Distance Education defines Second Life (SL) is a three dimensional virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents, which has become a trend with the Web 2.0 electronic social approach. Other social mechanism include collaboration tools…with further observations that… the potential for community building, networking, socialization, and life-long learning become evident.

Daniel Terdiman States in his book The Entrepreneur’s guide to Second Life, that “Second Life has many of the characteristics of the real world…it is still just virtual reality.  It’s really just ones and zeroes. It’s stored on servers, its representations of people are often rudimentary, and even its economic activity is conducted in a make believe currency….”

Common themes are apparent in these..creative, 3D, social, collaborative, is immersive..allows for creating through building, scripting,etc…it allows for networking, interacting with others  As a designer plans a virtual presence for a college or university in SL these are all things that should be taken in to consideration.  Once the site is in place then activities should be planned around these activities.