So one of the reasons that I am working on my Masters of Educational Technology is that I want to be able to teach online. Being the fun-lovin' guy that I am, I am hoping to integrate games into the mix. One such game that is generally very open to online education is Second Life. I am even taking an online class now that meets weekly in second life. We are able to speak with each other, perform activities, have round table discussions, and fly. I like falling without my parachute, it makes a splat sound when you hit the ground.
Check out that picture up top from our first day in class. That's me!
Anyway, my concern is: how do you teach Chemistry in a Second Life atmosphere? English and History lend themselves very well to Second Life. You can create art in the game, recreate civilizations, put on plays, manipulate objects for Math and Physics, but how do I show chemical reactions? My professor gave a good idea that I can create objects that represent atoms and molecules and create rules for combining them that simulate the laws by which atoms behave. He also noted that the sciences are an under-represented area in second life. I hope to be able to find some ways to change that. I think that the learners are ready and waiting, we just need to find some more creative ideas.
I think ultimately, that is what I am hoping to get out of my Second Life class this year. My concern is that creating effective online, interactive Chemistry teaching is going to prove to be quite a challenge. I do think it can be done though.
Wish me luck!
2 comments:
Good luck! I am interested to see what you learn.
You're a girl on Second Life? :) Pretty cool, I hope you're able to come up with some pretty sweet chemical reactions to show in it.
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