1. Walk, Fly, or Teleport to Learning: Virtual Worlds in the Classroom
- Author
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Yoder, Maureen Brown
- Abstract
For educators looking for new ways to engage their students, multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs) offer a great opportunity for creative teaching and learning. MUVEs teach students social, technical, and practical life skills in a setting that is engaging and playful. One might be surprised how much these virtual environments teach students about global awareness. One of the most successful efforts to engage students in virtual worlds is Global Kids, an organization whose mission is "to educate and inspire urban youth to become successful students and global and community leaders by engaging them in socially dynamic, content-rich learning experiences." Global Kids has a variety of projects that engage students in worthy efforts to promote global understanding. What is great about the Global Kids projects is that they mix virtual-world technologies with real-world challenges, engaging young students in socially responsible efforts that can have a real impact on the world they live in at the same time that they improve their chances for a promising future. By facilitating virtual world projects, educators would prepare their students to interact and collaborate in a setting that will be increasingly available and attractive to them.
- Published
- 2009