This is unbelievably cool and exactly the kind of educational potential I see in virtual worlds for kids [via Computer Weekly]:
Schools in Barnsley are using virtual world software to teach children writing and comprehension skills. The borough council has implemented Active Worlds software, giving pupils access to a 3D virtual world similar to Second Life.
Pupils using the system go into a deserted town and follow clues to find out what has happened to the residents. They also take part in reading and writing exercises to solve the clues and work out whether what has happened is an environmental disaster, an alien abduction, a reality TV show or a big business looking for oil that has made the residents disappear.
During the exercise, children work in pairs at computers. Each child is represented by an avatar, or a virtual person, and can meet other children in the fictional town, called Barnsborough. As they move through the town, they find clues such as discarded newspapers, which the whole class then looks at.
The article is short on details, but you can get more info at the Barnsley County website. Educators using the vw were hoping to boost the literacy learning of the boys in the class, but it turns out that the girls like using the game to learn too. I’m not surprised by this finding and hopefully it’ll be used another piece of evidence to finally prove that girls are just as engaged by ICT in the class as boys.
I’m going to do some digging and see if can learn more about the vw and the lessons linked to it. This is innovative teaching that goes beyond point-and-click use of games to teach and I tip my hat to the educators in Barnsley and the folks at Virtually Learning, who built the world (using the ActiveWorlds engine.) Also, h/t to Worlds in Motion for bringing this story to my attention.
