Virtual Worlds : Controversies at the Frontier of Education

by Sheehy, Kieron; Ferguson, Rebecca; Clough, Gill

• ISBN13: 9781608762613
• ISBN10: 1608762610
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-04-30
• Publisher: Nova Science Pub Inc

Summary

The book deals with the challenges that arise when virtual worlds are used for learning and teaching. The ideas and practices emerging from this field are relevant to all educators, and offers insights into the development of a pedagogy that is authentic, inclusive and enjoyable. Each chapter addresses a particular issue and is illustrated with examples drawn from both research and practice. These examples cover a wide range of learning scenarios, both formal and informal, involving teenagers, school pupils, undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as a variety of lifelong learners. The issues include the importance of virtual worlds, the influence of online games and physical-world economics and politics, the relationship between avatars and learner identity, the challenges of ensuring child safety and protection, interaction between real-world and in-world environments and activities, accessibility and the development of new pedagogues. The authors are all teachers and learners in virtual worlds; many have been responsible for designing, programming and maintaining virtual environments.

Table of Contents

Introduction: challenging education in virtual worlds

Virtual Worlds: The States of Play

Living in immaterial worlds: Who are we when we learn & teach in virtual worlds?

The business of child protection in educational virtual worlds

Learning together & alone in virtual worlds

Virtual worlds are authentic sites for learning

21st-century skills... all dressed up in the technology of the Knowledge Age?

When educational worlds collide

Breaking down the barriers

Inclusive education & virtual worlds: The Teacher Embodiment & Learning Affordance Framework (TEALEAF)

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.