Challenger Learning Center

South Jersey Technology Park at Rowan University

VirtualLearning

Communities

21stCentury Learning

Virtual Learning Communities (VLC) is based on a professional learning

community model that uses a blend of face-to-face and online curriculum to connect teams of educators on a

local, state, and global level

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Through immersion in multimedia, and social networking sites such as Ning, Diigo, Blogs and Wikis, participants

learn how to interact online with other members, and with experts from around the globe that are part

of the collaborative network.

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They can share discussions, photos, audio, video, and hypertext links to

connect to relevant resources and to solve real world problems.

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E-Learning

Online Learning

Virtual Education

Community Engagement

Creativity and Imagination

Real World Collaborative Problem Solving

History

MOO MUD

A MOO (MUD , object oriented Multi-User Dungeon) is a text-based online virtual reality system to which multiple users

(players) are connected at the same time

Sample of a typical MUD interaction.http://role-playing-video-games.suite101.com/article.cfm/

what_is_a_mud_or_multiuser_dungeon

http://www.kzero.co.uk/industry-forecasts.php

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Generation Y Perspectives

Because we work here

But truthfully, we tend to work just as much

here.

Roughly speaking, Generation Y is defined as -

20001977

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< Birth Date >

< Current Age >

There are over 70 million people in the U.S. belonging to Gen Y

And just like the Baby Boomers, that is aa large group of people

that is IMPACTING society

47%and is projected to be 47% of the workforce by 2014.

25%Generation Y is currently 25% of the workforce

But what defines Generation Y?

The Young and The Digital

What the Migration to Social-Networked Sites, Games, and Anytime, Anywhere Media Means for Our Future.

Demands instant gratification

Impatient if delayed… but highly adaptable.

Instant information

Attracted to Large Social Movements

Wired

Expecting (NOW! Not 5 minutes from

now)

Global

Interdependent

Quickly bored

Mobile

Likes mentors

multi-tasking

empowered

Laptop

Clicker

Notes

Web

IMCell Phone

iPod

This is what many of us are dealing with

21st Century

Learning

What makes learning different now than 10 years ago?

Is the traditional concept of top-down, one-way

communications strategydead?

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A Vision of Students Today

CCC

limate

lient

lassroom

Engaged

Actively Constructing Knowledge

Pedagogy

ToolsConstructionism; think of it as 'learning-by-making‘

Tied to online learning

Constructivism; building on prior knowledge

EntertainingInformativeInteresting

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Know What’s Out There

Emmersive Education

The CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment at Rowan University

21st Century Virtual Reality Learning

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CAVE –Automatic Virtual Environment http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=t-BRWQL8BM0

Lightsaber demohttp://il.youtube.com/watch?v=BNOewTOGeok&feature=related

What does all this have to do with

virtual worlds and real learning?

The world is connected today in ways

that are shattering traditional

communications concepts.

The Google Model

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41Google Sky

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http://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice

Learning has to be about more than test

scores

Is Real learning taking place

in virtual and digital environments?

digital world you can record everything that happens and this trace becomes your digital

footprint

How does this improve

LEARNING?

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http://todaysmeet.com/

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http://www.slideshare.net/

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How Does Technology Save Money?

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http://virtual-lc.wikispaces.com/

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http://www.teacherleaders.org/about/who

School Bloggers http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers

21st Century Blogginghttp://

21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/

EIRC Online Technology Web 2.0http://www.eirc.org/courses/course/view.php?id=38

Moodle

Wiki’s http://greenschoolsforteachers.wikispaces.com/

H:\Telent21\VLC\web 2.0 links.htm

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Think of this as a movement, not a

specific tool

Be prepared for change

Be prepared for resistance

FearMisinformation

Learning to Change, Changing to Learn

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http://www.joe.org/joe/2008august/a1.php

The Shift/ /ing

Landscape

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John HenryEIRC

jhenry@eirc.org