Justin K. Reeve – EDTECH Portfoliovirtual worlds
532: Making a Better World Through Games
In February 2010, Jane McGonigal gave a TED Talk on how gaming is not only a prominent feature of modern society, but an absolutely essential one. She cites statistics that demonstrate people become engaged in games more than any other activity, and follows up with an argument that has been echoed by educators interested in […]
531: Geo Quest
Here’s a simple “culture quest” for Geo Island, a region in Second Life dedicated to the study of geology. Interactive models, slideshows, and informational posters are available to guide students through topics relevant to earth science study. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Geo Island/140/62/504/ Begin your journey by heading north. Read all the posters you see. What are silicates? What […]
531: Social Presence and Immersive Environments
Virtual worlds are considered immersive environments, and as such, it’s not unexpected that the element of social presence plays a rather important role. Virtual worlds have an advantage over traditional forms of distance learning in this area, since the avatar is represented by many of the familiar visual and social cues humans are used to. […]
504: Virtual Worlds and Game-Based Learning Activities
This past week I was wrapping up a draft of a synthesis paper about constructivist learning theory and its application to educational simulations and virtual worlds. I imagine there’s nothing new about wide-eyed educational technology students wanting an excuse to study games in school. It’s a pretty hot topic in education right now. As for […]
501: Review of “Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds”
Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction is a book by Clark Aldrich, an educational game consultant, which explains the benefits of different types of games, and contains suggested models for instruction. It is intended mainly for teachers and curriculum designers, but could also function as a good introduction to […]
501: Exploring Some Technology Trends
Reading through the 2010 Horizon Report, I learned about a few things I wasn’t too familiar with. I first heard about augmented reality a couple years ago from this article in THE Journal: http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/02/01/when-worlds-collide-an-augmented-reality-check.aspx. The idea of encouraging students to apply what they’ve learned in a real-world simulation really struck a chord with me, but I […]