Tag: collective intelligence

Virtual Worlds as Learning Platforms

VW’s strengths as learning platforms for English language teaching and training lie in their multinational, multiethnic, and multilingual set-up.  They essentially are a sandbox for highly immersive experiential learning where almost any conceivable educational scenario can be simulated and carried out. In-World students often identify strongly with their alter-ego avatar.  Avatars can manipulate and use objects while socially networking in a 3D environment. With an alter ego buffering the self-conscious hurdle of fluency practice participants are more likely to speak to peers and mentors, join and/or form groups to meet like-minded persons, seek out casual conversations and enjoy educative congregating such as coffee house socializing, fire-pit talks or rezzing in to meet new group members for hang-outs.

Generally, participants experience VW’s as less intimidating places which enable both native and non-native interaction with a potential for community building and Virtual World –> Real World (RW) carryover. Particularly favored features are instantaneous virtual traveling (teleporting) to RW locations in SL, the existence of support groups and forums for formal and informal learning, all of which enable L2 language acquisition through experimental experiences.

“Blogging has changed the way we communicate.”

With the rise of interactive social media, especially blogging, our way of communication has changed to an interactive communication process.

Ten years ago there was no Facebook,WordPress, Twitter, Foursquare, Linkedin, Wikipedia, Instagram, Pinterest, or any other social media platform. Initially, communication and interaction with websites were predominantly one-sided. Web sites would offer information but no interaction. Web surfers would skim across multiple websites without the ability to interact, comment or communicate in real-time. Information would be scanned often without focus or intellectual investment. Passive website viewing rarely allowed two-way interactions.
With the rise of interactive social media, especially blogging, our way of communication has changed to an interactive communication process. Blogging sites such as WordPress offer preset, easily adjustable, free templates for beginner bloggers who can communicate via text, images and video messages to an international audience. Collaboration on a global scale with robust feedback, comment features and instant translation services capture the rapidly evolving nature of online communication. Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister said: “Take, therefore, what modern technology is capable of: the power of our moral sense allied to the power of communications and our ability to organize internationally. That, in my view, gives us the first opportunity as a community to fundamentally change the world. “
However, blogging also poses challenges. Inadvertent self-disclosure in blogging is akin to “peeling back the layers of an onion. The outer layers of the onion represent superficial information about a person, such as physical appearance and speech. The deeper layers represent more intimate information, such as the person’s thoughts, feelings and relationships with others. “Social Penetration Theory
Entering the blogging and social media galaxy is a multi-dimensional journey which starts with listening and learning, self-disclosure, engaging across all channels, joining and creating communities, and connecting to collaborative partners across the globe. This networking and collaboration leads to collective intelligence, transparency and collaborative solutions.