Education Unleashed: Participatory Culture, Education, and Innovation in Second Life

Part of the Volume on the Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and LearningWhile virtual worlds share common technologies and audiences with games, they possess many unique characteristics. Particularly when compared to massively multiplayer online role-playing games, virtual worlds create very different learning and teaching opportunities through markets, creation, and connections to the real world, and lack of overt game goals. This chapter aims to expose a wide audience to the breadth and depth of learning occurring within Second Life (SL). From in-world classes in the scripting language to mixed-reality conferences about the future of broadcasting, a tremendous variety of both amateurs and experts are leveraging SL as a platform for education. In one sense, this isn't new since every technology is co-opted by communities for communication, but SL is different because every aspect of it was designed to encourage this co-opting, this remixing of the virtual and the real

Learning from experience, for experienced staff

Business needs in multinational corporations call for courses that involve problem solving and creating and sharing new knowledge based on workplace situations. The courses also need to be engaging for the participants. Blended learning at Shell International Exploration and Production involves these kinds of outcomes in courses designed around a workplace-learning model. Employees use a Web-based system to make contributions based on their own work experiences in preparation for a face-to-face session. These contributions then feed into classroom sessions that involve collaborative learning where the workplace problems and experiences of the participants are the focus. In this presentation one course is highlighted that demonstrates a number of game-type activities based on the participants' own workplace experiences. Implications for other courses outside of the Shell context are discussed

The need for mass media training in non-traditional settings

It becomes increasingly evident that the traditional university as we know it - set up with quite definite structures, periods of instruction, rigid progressions through involved curricula - does not always lend itself to education needs. There are millions of persons who will never be able to avail themselves of a university education. We do not have the luxury to write off these citizens who do not have the resources to become college graduates. It is dodging the issue to say that these individuals should be taken care of by lower- level educational institutions. There is a need for learning which is not satisfied by lower level education, but which is also not met within traditional university structures.peer-reviewe

The seamless integration of Web3D technologies with university curricula to engage the changing student cohort

The increasing tendency of many university students to study at least some courses at a distance limits their opportunities for the interactions fundamental to learning. Online learning can assist but relies heavily on text, which is limiting for some students. The popularity of computer games, especially among the younger students, and the emergence of networked games and game-like virtual worlds offers opportunities for enhanced interaction in educational applications. For virtual worlds to be widely adopted in higher education it is desirable to have approaches to design and development that are responsive to needs and limited in their resource requirements. Ideally it should be possible for academics without technical expertise to adapt virtual worlds to support their teaching needs. This project identified Web3D, a technology that is based on the X3D standards and which presents 3D virtual worlds within common web browsers, as an approach worth exploring for educational application. The broad goals of the project were to produce exemplars of Web3D for educational use, together with development tools and associated resources to support non-technical academic adopters, and to promote an Australian community of practice to support broader adoption of Web3D in education. During the first year of the project exemplar applications were developed and tested. The Web3D technology was found to be still in a relatively early stage of development in which the application of standards did not ensure reliable operation in different environments. Moreover, ab initio development of virtual worlds and associated tools proved to be more demanding of resources than anticipated and was judged unlikely in the near future to result in systems that non-technical academics could use with confidence. In the second year the emphasis moved to assisting academics to plan and implement teaching in existing virtual worlds that provided relatively easy to use tools for customizing an environment. A project officer worked with participating academics to support the teaching of significant elements of courses within Second LifeTM. This approach was more successful in producing examples of good practice that could be shared with and emulated by other academics. Trials were also conducted with ExitRealityTM, a new Australian technology that presents virtual worlds in a web browser. Critical factors in the success of the project included providing secure access to networked computers with the necessary capability; negotiating the complexity of working across education, design of virtual worlds, and technical requirements; and supporting participants with professional development in the technology and appropriate pedagogy for the new environments. Major challenges encountered included working with experimental technologies that are evolving rapidly and deploying new networked applications on secure university networks. The project has prepared the way for future expansion in the use of virtual worlds for teaching at USQ and has contributed to the emergence of a national network of tertiary educators interested in the educational applications of virtual worlds

Bringing Candor to Charitable Solicitations

The American public donates a staggering amount of money to nonprofit charities. These charities routinely solicit and receive money from donors for specific, earmarked purposes. Often, however, charities ignore their obligations to use money for these designated uses. In many circumstances, even a seemingly benign redirection of earmarked gifts for other charitable purposes could constitute fraud and misrepresentation. Breaking the implicit or explicit promise to use money in a designated manner harms donors, charities, and the public. Prospective donors assess the value of charitable donations in a manner similar to the way they value consumer goods and services and can be swayed by false claims. Accordingly, allowing distortions of perceived value misleads donors when they are directing their charity. In light of detailed examinations of charitable-organization spending practices, this Article will propose that charities should adhere to a new, higher level of candor in their public communications. Maintaining a renewed, scrupulous approach to disclosure would, in Chief Justice John Marshall’s parlance in Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, ensure “that the charity will flow . . . in the channel” that the donors expressly choose

Real Results: Why Strategic Philanthropy is Social Justice Philanthropy

The crises affecting our nation and the world have prompted philanthropists to become more organized, focused and, perhaps above all, "strategic" in their efforts. The movement toward "strategic philanthropy" has already contributed to greater philanthropic effectiveness. Yet, despite important contributions to education, health, the arts and the environment, it is clear that philanthropy's ultimate impact is still limited. Great disparities along the lines of race, gender, class and other identity markers persist and, in some cases, are even exacerbated.This suggests that something is missing from our sector's understanding of what makes for truly strategic and effective philanthropy:A clear understanding of one's goals includes not only the desired impact but also identifies who will benefit (or not) and how.A commitment to evidence-based strategy cannot ignore the tangible, positive impact -- and often the necessity -- of influencing public policy.Keeping a philanthropic strategy on course requires the input of those who stand to gain or lose the most from grantmaking: the grantees and the communities they serve.Truly strategic philanthropy is social justice philanthropy

A review and survey of Problem-Based Learning application in Engineering Education

This paper gives a review of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) applied in engineering courses worldwide, and a survey of academic staff who have implemented PBL in engineering classes in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The review of PBL application illustrates the extent of acceptance and success of PBL in schools of engineering in the international arena. The survey, on the other hand, illustrates the acceptance of PBL among engineering lecturers and the possibility of applying PBL in Malaysia. The main purpose of the survey is to obtain feedback on PBL regarding the impressions, set-backs and constraints faced, as well as innovations and tips for successful implementation from the faculty members involved

Sharing the journey of facilitator and learner: online pedagogy in practice

Two perspectives are used to reflect on the learning design of a postgraduate online course – that of the designer/facilitator and that of the learner. While the course focus is on online pedagogical approaches, the main aim is to connect learners with each other and with the facilitator so that together they may investigate, trial, challenge and formulate ideas about online pedagogy. The design is influenced by the principles of transformative learning where the concept of a 'dilemma' leads to disorientation and then to learning. Learners are presented with a number of educational dilemmas, given a process for addressing those dilemmas and are required to authentically demonstrate how principles and practices can be applied to enhance online learning and teaching. The design addresses the theory/practice nexus and illustrates that research is best situated in real world contexts, and effective practice should be framed and informed by research