This video called "Orientation in Second Life" proved a good point in my opinion. A lot of teachers try and teach in one direction, while students have different styles of learning. If we as teachers can not adapt, what a student takes away from a classroom may be affected negatively. In the video, users were having problems with using Second Life. Some new users would even get frustrated and stop using after their first attempt. The narrators in the video found that instead of reading material that guided one through how to use the program, "elearning" while actually playing and giving instructions and advice actually on second life was more successful.
The biggest takeaway I gained from the video is that as teachers of any kind, you must adapt to your learners.
In my own personal experience, I have dealt with this issue. In middle school I was starting to get bad grades due to my lack of "self explanation" skills. Once I made it clear to the teachers (who in turn just sent me to tutors) that I needed to actually be taught, my grades improved thanks to tutors who laid out the info for me step by step.
As a teacher, i want to make sure that I appeal to all of my students styles of learning. I do not want to be one of those "my way or the highway" teachers, instead I want to be an open minded and flexible teacher.
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Adrian,
ReplyDeleteYou got some things out of this video that I did not, but I agree with. When I watched the video, I saw it only at surface level, trying to understand what classroom applications this could possibly be used for.
I like that you took out of it that teachers need to be receptive to the learning needs of their students, or they simply will not learn as effectively as they could.
I am curious, though in what ways you might use this system in a classroom, or did you simply take away the lesson and not the practical uses of the Second Life.
You have written one of the only positive posts about this video in both sections of our class. I'm so glad you were able to pick out some good learning points and share them here. I think virtual worlds still have a ways to go for classroom use, but these environments are just going to get better and more important for learning in the years ahead.
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