Tonight’s SL session was fun, however, I must admit...when technology isn’t cooperating, it can be very frustrating. For some reason, I was not able to hear Sheperd’s instructions or questions. Everything he was saying was inaudible to me. Ironically, I was able to hear everyone else in the session fine. Despite verifying all the settings and turning up his volume, the scratchy audio did not improve. I even logged out and back in again, still no improvement. I relied on classmates’ responses in the chat to try and get an idea of what was being discussed. I was able to make it through the session okay, still, it is not a pleasant experience to feel uninformed, haha. It made me wonder about the hearing impaired and the challenges they face. I made note of this because when designing instruction, we should consider a universal design for learning (UDL). Nevertheless, life moves on and we must do our best to focus ahead.
The sims we visited tonight focused on informing SL residents about the functions and features. For example, how to use chat, view options, camera, movements, gestures, changing appearances, teleporting etc. Both sims, Virtual Abilities Orientation and NMC Orientation, were very informative and helpful. In my opinion, the Virtual Abilities Orientation sim is great for brand new SL residents. The NMC Orientation sims is helpful for those with some experience. In the NMC Orientation sim, I found an area that had a dancing feature (see YouTube video above & more SL images below). I had fun dancing and playing the drums. I am beginning to see how feeling immersed can enhance a learning environment. Virtual worlds offer that element with the right pedagogy and guidance. Yet, there is still room for a learner controlled learning environment as we experience each sim at our own pace and preference. So in essence, we may consider virtual worlds a hybrid of pedagogy, andragogy, and cybergogy. Till next time…enjoy life...enjoy Second Life!
The sims we visited tonight focused on informing SL residents about the functions and features. For example, how to use chat, view options, camera, movements, gestures, changing appearances, teleporting etc. Both sims, Virtual Abilities Orientation and NMC Orientation, were very informative and helpful. In my opinion, the Virtual Abilities Orientation sim is great for brand new SL residents. The NMC Orientation sims is helpful for those with some experience. In the NMC Orientation sim, I found an area that had a dancing feature (see YouTube video above & more SL images below). I had fun dancing and playing the drums. I am beginning to see how feeling immersed can enhance a learning environment. Virtual worlds offer that element with the right pedagogy and guidance. Yet, there is still room for a learner controlled learning environment as we experience each sim at our own pace and preference. So in essence, we may consider virtual worlds a hybrid of pedagogy, andragogy, and cybergogy. Till next time…enjoy life...enjoy Second Life!
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