Week 7

Assignment  #1

Using ADDIE model in Second Life:

This article was very interesting to read, as well as informative. Since I am new to Second Life learning, the information given in the article as it applies to the familiar ADDIE model opened my eyes to an even newer way of learning. It was very insightful on how successful it can be when used in the classroom, as well as its challenges. In my opinion, the positives outweigh the negatives by a large margin. The Second Life allows the student to step into a whole new, different way of learning. Students can design their own avatars and walk around their own little worlds answering questions set by the teacher according to the ADDIE model in education. Integrating this model is a very important concept to apply, especially in this kind of learning environment.

Multimodal Education:

It is very important for authors to use multimodal text in their books, especially at the younger age levels. At a very young age, plain and boring text does not keep the attention of the students. Authors must think outside the box and ask themselves how their stories must be written in order for their readers to enjoy them, as well as get the meanings behind the story. In order to bring out the true essence of a story, the author can visually stimulate the reader by bringing in some “not-so-traditional” ways of viewing text. I think that this is a great idea for keeping the students interested in the text because it makes them want to find out what other ways will the author make this book more fun to read. This is something that is very important to consider when creating text for students at a young age.

Assignment #2

Since I have never been to Germany, I thought that this would be the perfect time to visit! This screenshot is a picture of me overlooking a park in Germany from a department store!

 

Speaking with some ELA teachers, they have never heard of Second Life, let alone using it in ELA instruction! But they came up with some ways to utilize it in their teaching:

-Since not every student is outgoing, this would be a great way for the shy/quiet students to interact with their fellow classmates without “actually” communicating with them in person. It would be a great way to assess what they learn via text or voice messaging throughout the Second Life program.

-Instead of having students learn in the traditional way of learning by splitting up into groups at their desks, they can log in and talk about the lesson by using their avatars! It’s a great way to communicate and recap the activity at hand via Second Life. I feel that the students would become more involved with their work and take more pride in it if the use of technology was an option. It could also be used as a reinforcement.  For instance, if the student does not complete his/her assignment, then they will not be able to participate in the lesson with their avatar. This will be a new type of learning for them so I think that the students will become highly motivated if this is done in their routine schedule for learning.