The future is already here.
It’s just not evenly distributed. Quote from William Gibson, science fiction writer. And not widely reported, either. But here is a report. Are virtual worlds the future of the classroom?
I mention the report as a follow-up to some of my previous blogs such as: Learners without Classrooms. Here are things the report mentions:
>Whyville, an online virtual world whose population of kids has grown to about 1.6 million since its inception in 1999.
>multiuser virtual environment, or MUVE, a genre of software games created to inspire children to learn by giving them problems to solve.
Harvard University: "River City." Harvard's School of Education is in talks with several urban school districts to introduce the software to tens of thousands of schoolchildren this fall.
>Indiana University: Quest Atlantis will be introduced to 50 new classrooms, or between 10,000 to 20,000 students, in New Jersey next fall.
>Toyota Financial Services will host a Whyville loan center to help kids learn about FICO scores and interest rates. Kids can then borrow money to buy a virtual Toyota Scion.
>"Underperforming students come alive by learning in 'River City'"
>River City:. Funded with $4 million in grants from the National Science Foundation. Implemented in seven states.
>revamp the way science was taught in schools, shifting it to inquiry-based education. (Reminds me of State Statements and Quest Questions.)
>The University of Texas: WhyEat, to teach kids about nutrition. Kids who play must choose nutritious foods, or they could get ill.
>Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute on Whyville: sponsored by the real Oceanographic Institute.
>a thriving business economy based on selling child-created virtual products.
>a virtual museum hosted by the real J. Paul Getty Museum.
I mention the report as a follow-up to some of my previous blogs such as: Learners without Classrooms. Here are things the report mentions:
>Whyville, an online virtual world whose population of kids has grown to about 1.6 million since its inception in 1999.
>multiuser virtual environment, or MUVE, a genre of software games created to inspire children to learn by giving them problems to solve.
Harvard University: "River City." Harvard's School of Education is in talks with several urban school districts to introduce the software to tens of thousands of schoolchildren this fall.
>Indiana University: Quest Atlantis will be introduced to 50 new classrooms, or between 10,000 to 20,000 students, in New Jersey next fall.
>Toyota Financial Services will host a Whyville loan center to help kids learn about FICO scores and interest rates. Kids can then borrow money to buy a virtual Toyota Scion.
>"Underperforming students come alive by learning in 'River City'"
>River City:. Funded with $4 million in grants from the National Science Foundation. Implemented in seven states.
>revamp the way science was taught in schools, shifting it to inquiry-based education. (Reminds me of State Statements and Quest Questions.)
>The University of Texas: WhyEat, to teach kids about nutrition. Kids who play must choose nutritious foods, or they could get ill.
>Wood's Hole Oceanographic Institute on Whyville: sponsored by the real Oceanographic Institute.
>a thriving business economy based on selling child-created virtual products.
>a virtual museum hosted by the real J. Paul Getty Museum.
posted by Selby Evans at 2:48 PM
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