Modding the Metaverse; The Pedagogy of Participation - AoIR 2007

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Modding the Metaverse: The Pedagogy of ParticipationAoIR 2007

Tracy Kennedy, University of Toronto / Virtual Research Assistant, GNWCJoanna Robinson, Brock University / Virtual Research Assistant, GNWC

Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Director, GNWC Centre for Digital Mediahttp://mdm.gnwc.ca/









Traditional Didactic Modes of Learning

• Lecture styles with a top-down approach • Information delivery is linear and static• Legitimates disciplinary discourses, knowledge & information • Problematic power relations between professor and student - hierarchies• Does not always allow for nor encourage constructive interaction between

students, and between students and instructors





Participatory Pedagogy

Content:

•Incorporating personal experiences, skills, knowledge and individual context

Process:

•More interactive and empowering pedagogical style of learning and knowledge construction inside and outside the classroom•Students take an active role in the learning process





Internet & Education

Web 2.0• Collective & interactive• Synchronous• Flat Web

– ie: Wikis, Blogs, Moodle etc

Web 3D• Incorporates Web 2.0 features• Self expression & self direction• Diverse ways of learning• Hands-on technical skill building• Three dimensional spaces• Transformation of personal experience

and researched content into a tangible visual form

• Virtual Worlds– ie: Second Life, Active Worlds,

Metaplace, Google Sketch up and more...





Why Participatory Pedagogy?

• Self directed learning can increase their sense of empowerment

• Using student’s own knowledge can improve the perceived relevance of subject material and therefore can improve their motivation

• Can allowing students to gain insight into their own value systems and improve their confidence

• Exercising reflexivity and contemplation can improve their level of ‘self-awareness’ skills generally

(Aldrich 2004)





Why Participatory Pedagogy?

• We are living in a time of emerging participatory culture, fluency in this culture is an asset

• Need to prepare students for work in the

information age

• ICT use among students is pervasive– mp3 players, cell phones, laptops, video games– Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Skype





Centre for Digital MediaCentre for Digital Media (Latitude: 49:16:0.383N, Longitude: (Latitude: 49:16:0.383N, Longitude:

123:5:26.329W)123:5:26.329W)









Virtual Centre for Digital Media

University Project (150, 84, 23)





Thank You!Thank You!























Modding the Metaverse Workshops

• How can a group collaborate to modify or create their own learning space?

• What are the processes involved?• What are some of the factors that must be

considered?• How might the findings be beneficial to our students?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp5FNID5kMU





Modding the Metaverse Workshops

• Call for participants sent to potential students, SL educators & researchers lists

• 3 workshops: 2 discussions, 1 modding & building

Objectives:• Support small teams and large group work• Individual/reflexive tasks• Design and creation• Flexibility – can one environment facilitate all of these

things?





























What we learned

• Exercise helped us think about how we might envision virtual learning spaces

• Collaborative modding and building is possible in SL• A design brief is only useful if participants adhere to it• Roles need to be well defined in the team• Need to have a clear concept of what the space will

be used for to best facilitate learning objectives





What we learned

• Skill divides bring about challenges in participation in building and even discussing

• Circular designs emerged• Builds had no roof in many cases• Disagreement among participants as to whether

replicating first life classrooms was useful in virtual spaces

• Placement/style of screen/display/whiteboard device was important in most designs





CDM’s other Second Life activities to date:

• Blended reality open house• Community partner Vancouver Police Department's

Second Life experiment• Blended reality book launch by MDM advisory board

member William Gibson• Hosting a virtual conference - CITASA MC 3.0 2007• Blended reality program launch with Premier Campbell• Projects for ‘The Visual Story’ and ‘Building Virtual

Worlds’• Exercises and exploration in ‘Interdisciplinary Improv’• Use in courses & future events proposed





















































































http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLTDwzpPWMI













Professor Tracy JoannaTrail Blazer GerriTrail [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]





http://mdm.gnwc.ca/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnwc

http://www.youtube.com/user/gnwc