Educational uses of Second Life

Another video showcasing the educational possibilities of using Second Life for learning.

The video doesn't mention the potential for mixing with more undesirable folk (naked furries for example) and this is one of the downsides of the SL experience. However, I think that the negatives of SL will be corrected over time. The technology is still young, and it's hard to deny that learning possibilities exist in virtual worlds.

I'll be subscribing to the learning blog www.karlkapp.blogspot.com as well.

Learning science in Second Life

This video encompasses what I've been exploring on my own in SecondLife. It is a well organized overview of the various opportunities for learning genomics, molecular biology and even clinical skills. If you haven't created an avatar in SL yet, I encourage you to do so and go see some of the locations mentioned for yourself. You very likely will be amazed at the potential for learning that it offers.

Using a story-based approach for teaching complex issues

Here is a simple explanation of the Cynefin model and why using a narrative or story-based approach is useful for teaching complex issues such as leadership, innovation and culture.

The teacher is using a tool that evokes the image of sitting in a coffee shop while someone simultaneously explains an idea and sketches it on the back of a napkin. If you find this form of learning appealing, you might really like Sketchcast, a free online tool.

Narration, images and cognitive load

Here is a helpful lesson explaining why it's better for learning to use audio narration to describe an image rather than audio narration of onscreen text. Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer's recently published book E-learning and the Science of Instruction outlines how, in multiple tests, learners retained more information when a visual was explained using audio narration versus text. This is a useful fact to keep in mind when knowledge retention is an important part of your digital instruction. Listen to the different examples explaining how a cell phone tower works and see which one helps you to remember the information the most. Thanks to Articulate's Tom Kuhlman for providing this example.

Interview with Joe Miller of SecondLife on corporate communication and learning

Here is an interesting interview by the ASTD (American Society for Training and Development) with Joe Miller, who was the keynote speaker at the recent ASTD 2008 TechKnowledge Conference. In the interview, Mr. Miller discusses topics such as what sort of environments are best for learning in virtual worlds, how companies are using virtual worlds to communicate with their customers and what areas of SecondLife hold the most promise for learning professionals.