help you prepare for action in the world. You can act in the simulation and test out what consequences follow, before you act in the real world. You can role-play another person in the model and try to see what motivates their actions or might follow from them before you respond in the real world. So I am arguing that the mind is a simulator, but one that builds simulations to purposely prepare for specific actions and to achieve specific goals." (Gee J 2003)
The Art and Media Summer Show is held every year on campus. Space to display artwork is always at a premium, to try and alleviate this problem I explored the use of Second Life as it allows imagery to be view from different viewpoints and perspectives.
A gallery was created to display the artwork of my first year students to try and promote the use of Second Life to the College and to inspire next years cohort.
It was very quickly set up due to students leaving for their Summer Break.
The gallery was created to make best use of the virtual environment and the methods used to navigate through space.
To view all the artwork SL users are required to make use of their avatar and the navigation and viewing tools.
“Enjoyment and fun as part of the learning process are important when learning new tools since the learner is relaxed and motivated and therefore more willing to learn.” … "The role that fun plays with regard to intrinsic motivation in education is twofold. First, intrinsic motivation promotes the desire for recurrence of the experience…Secondly, fun can motivate learners to engage themselves in activities with which they have little or no previous experience." (Bisson and Luckner, 1996)
Imagery was placed in groups that reflected the assignment outcome.
Players must carefully consider the design of the world and consider how it will or will not facilitate specific actions they want to take to accomplish their goals." (Gee J 2003)
Signs indicate the work being displayed.
The placing of images encourages the use of SL viewing tools allowing newbies to practice their navigation skills etc!
Second Life’s open architecture offers support for self-generated social structures and built-in
infrastructures for creating and distributing learner-created content, opening a new approach to design of learning environments as “possibility spaces”. This helps learners see the world (real or imagined) not as a given, with rigid constraints limiting imaginations and energies, but as a design space–resulting increative thinkers and mindful learners. (Suter V & Frazier E, 2007)
Navigation signs
Imagery was also placed to follow the original animation storyboards.
Gallery encourages use of the flight option within SL.
References
Christian Bisson and John Luckner, “Fun in Learning: The Pedagogical Role of Fun in Adventure Education,” Journal of Experimental Education, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1996, pp 109-110.
Gee J, 2003, Video Games, Mind, and Learning, International Digital Media and Arts Journal, volume 2 number 1
Gee J 2003, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, New York, Palgrave Macmillan
Gee J 2007, Good Video Games + Good Learning: Collected Essays on Video Games, Learning and Literacy (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies), New York, Lang, Peter Publishing, Incorporated
Suter V & Frazier E, 2007, Second Life as a Possibility Space, Second Life Educational workshop, Chicago Hilton August 2007, Chicago, WordPress pp65
