PEDAGOGY IN PAJAMAS: ENGAGING LEARNERS ONLINE IN

“REAL-TIME”

Catherine Willoughby, PhD

Oakland University

Just in Case…

Introduction

Background Focus of Presentation

Synchronous LearningBlended Graduate Courses-Oakland

UniversityMeet face-to-face one week, meet online the

next week.Finding the best way to maximize time and

learner engagement.

My Experiences

As a graduate student-not engaging Synchronous Learning-Oakland

University-Blended ClassesWanted to engage studentsIlluminate-Pros ConsWebExSecond Life

Second Life What is it? (Screenshots) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_DoKIXrCIE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bko9WLezcI

Why? It provides a visual learning environment that is a creative

learning space. Its very openness interrupts not only teaching and learning

practices but also issues of power and control in learning. It offers experiential learning opportunities, chiefly in terms of

using simulations, demonstrations, and experiences not always available in real life.

It serves as a mirror to higher education practice across different levels (Baden, 2010, p. 8).

Second Life My experiences

K-12 EducatorsGrad Students

QuestionsStudents come to class as an animal or naked?Students stand, dance or walk in the middle of a

discussion?Students come to class carrying a gun?Students change their clothes while the teacher

is speaking? (Baden, 2010, p.16).

Second Life Online Class 2/3/2015 Manual_-_Second_Life_on_iPad-libre.pdf

Hello!

On Tuesday we will be meeting online at 6:30 using Second Life as our platform.  In order to be ready for Tuesday's class here are the steps you need to follow: 1-Sign up for Second Life  www.secondlife.com. 2-You can sign up for free. 3-It is best to sign up using your laptop or computer.  You may use it on your ipad or iphone, but it's more

complicated.  I have attached the file to explain how to set it up. 4-Second life may not work at all institutions so it would be best if you upload it or use it at home or a coffee

shop.  It does not work at Oakland because their firewall permits it. 5-We will be meeting at my house...I know it sounds funny, but I now own a home in second life   I got the home

for free with my premium membership, but it is not furnished.  Again, sounds strange.  In order for it to look pretty I have to buy furniture, etc.  So my home is quite plain at the moment.  Here's the address to my home: 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dalandeos/218/46/72

6-You must teleport yourself to my home address.  The address bar can be found in the upper right of the program.  If you start out on a beach that is normal.  Just cut and paste the url to my home in the teleport portion and you should be there.

7-  Please try to access it before Tuesday's class. 8-Also, please email me your Contextual and your Learner Analysis forms before class on Tuesday.

My Conclusions

Students enjoy synchronous learning because it engages them.

Some really liked Second Life while others thought the audio made it difficult.

Students liked “focused” discussion (objectives). They liked knowing the agenda before class.

They liked “Office Hours” format in WebEx.

Research “Online synchronous courses present more

advantages than disadvantages. Students found that this classroom setting supports their lifestyle while allowing them to “attend” classes. Students with a hectic life, full of commitments and who live at a distance from school seem to fully embrace Web based courses as an alternative to wasting hours in driving to and from school, and to be able to stay closer in touch with their family and in a more comfortable environment” (Cereijo,Tyler-Wood & Young, 2002).

Research

“For us, the ability to interact with students online in real time has been a key to making online instruction come alive in ways that rival what we do in our

F2F (asynchronous) classes” (Benshoff & Gibbons, 2011, p. 27).

Research “Two research pilots have provided data to

demonstrate that students were engaged in their learning and appreciative of this innovative approach to teaching and learning online. In 2010, the authors commenced a new research project to ascertain whether students learning via this virtual world environment performed better in their assessment tasks than those students who used a traditional learning management system. Data indicate that this is the case. In this paper, the current research project is firstly situated within the range of research conducted by the authors in Second Life” (Masters & Gregory, 2011, p. 137).

Your Experiences

What experiences do you have with synchronous learning you would like to share?

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Masters, Y., & Gregory, S. (2011). Second Life and Higher Education: New Opportunities for Teaching and Learning. In P. Jerry & L. Lindsey (Eds.), Experiential Learning in Virtual Worlds: Opening an Undiscovered Country (1st ed., pp. 137–146). Oxford, United Kingdom: Inter-Disciplinary Press. https://www.interdisciplinarypress.net/online-store/ebooks/digital-humanities/experiential-learning-in-virtual-worlds

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