Teaching+and+Learnign+in+Virtual+Worlds

Please feel free to add topics and resources. I will be adding to this page as I gather and select what I think may be useful material. I am not in any way an expert on the subject or can say what is or isn't the best material or the best practices. I am enthusiastic about the potential of Virtual Worlds for Training, Coaching, Teaching and Learning. I myself am still exploring and learning and would love to collaborate with others who have a similar interest or at least curious to discover a bit more about the opportunities those environment provide.

Note: (avi) next to any person name means that the name is the avatar name. Some people I know only as avatars, so far :-)

**__What are Virtual Worlds?__**
@http://www.virtualworldsreview.com/info/whatis.shtml []

A virtual world is one where imagination gives it the reality -Norman

__Examples of Virtual Worlds that are being used for Education/Learening__
Second Life, Commercial, Free Basic Subscription, Owned by Linden Labs Reaction Grid : Jokaydia Grid OSGrid [|Minecraft] World of WarCraft WiloStar3D

__**What are the different roles of Virtual Worlds in Education/Learning?**__
Lindy Mckeown Presenation : Beyond Replication of the University Campus: Using 3D Viirtual Worlds to Transform Distance Learning and Teaching The slide is at 28:02 minutes, after which she proceeds to explain and provide examples of each role. Oh!VirtualLearning! [|ISTE Special Interest Group for Virtual Environments]

__**How some educators are using Virtual Worlds**__
Examples captured by Machinima [|Ask the Expert Water Cycle] By Ines Puspita (avi) with her students, The German International School, Indonesia. Nice but.... too "schoolish". If we just transfer usual classroom practices to the virtual world, is anything gained?

Virtual Genetics Laboratory in SL SWIFT project, University of Leicester Much better: the students do in virtual lab some tasks that they cannot do in real lab. Any other examples that can only be done in virtuality? I know one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s33Y5nI5Wbc virtual schizophrenia in SL

Other examples Innovation for Online Virtual Education Great examples!

__**Why Virtual Worlds?**__

 * Simulations that cannot be performed in the real world
 * Re-construction of historical places and events
 * Fun!, motivating.
 * Bring together in a more realistic "together" sense, students from all the world