Online Courses » Open for Enrollment
Collaboration and Teaching in a Virtual World - Carolina Online Teacher Program
This course is an elective in the Carolina Online Teacher Program.
Course completed (taught October 7–November 10)
Whether they’re assisting their teammates in a tactical military battle against an opposing team in Halo or working together to slay a fierce monster in the depths of a dungeon in World of Warcraft, our students are well-acquainted with collaboration in a virtual environment.
Students today use virtual environments for entertainment with no thought to the extent of real collaboration taking place. With groups ranging from just two or three to a group of forty or more, our students engage in intense problem-solving situations. These situations require not only reflexes but analytical thinking, adaptability, and the necessity to work collaboratively with others from around the world to accomplish their goals. Now that’s learning 21st Century skills!
So how do we as educators challenge students and maintain their focus with our teaching? And can we utilize the same potential of these MUVEs (multi-user virtual environments) for teaching and collaborating with each other?
Syllabus
You can view full the course syllabus here.
Prerequisites
- Blackboard or Moodle Training or approved substitute
- Teaching Online Courses
- Facilitating Online Collaboration
Course objectives
In this course, we will venture into the virtual world together exploring topics such as:
- the history of virtual worlds
- the concepts and vocabulary of virtual worlds
- online etiquette in virtual environments
- which virtual worlds are available and which hold the most potential for education
- ways that educators can harness the collaborative and educational power of virtual environments
- Second Life
Time commitment
Participants can expect to spend approximately 2-3 hours per week working on this course, which includes three 1.5-hour virtual field trips in Second Life.
Materials required
All materials in this course are free. There are two free programs that participants will be required to download and install:
- Second Life
- Ventrilo
- You will need access to a web browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox are recommended).
REQUIRED HARDWARE
- Since Second Life is a graphically intensive program, participants’ computers should meet its system requirements.
- A microphone for your PC.
- A high-speed Internet connection (DSL, Cable, or higher) is also highly recommended.
OPTIONAL (BUT RECOMMENDED) SOFTWARE
- Image editing software will come in handy if you want to take pictures while exploring Second Life. Any image editor will do. If you are looking for a free solution, try Picasa. Another great option, slightly more advanced is GIMP.
- An Office Suite might come in handy as well. MS Office or Google Docs will do, or you can download OpenOffice for free.
- Skype, a free, online messaging system, will allow you to easily contact me when I'm online during office hours.
