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How can virtual worlds be used in government? Aren't they a game? Virtual worlds can be used as a game, but they are much more.

This article discusses play in virtual worlds (focusing on World of Warcraft) with an emphasis both on the learning that takes place and the engagement. You'll have to log in with your Harvard ID to get the article, FYI. "Our observation showed that players are motivated by the game's scope, rules, and scenario to create and participate in virtual communities, and share their knowledge with others, while newcomers are encouraged to engage in collective actions, and develop their skill base. We also found that although current MMORPGs have not been designed as instructional tools, they provide an excellent fantasy environment for intrinsically motivating learning, where players can experience the elements of challenge, curiosity, and control [30]." "People engage in pervasive games that use the best of two worlds, the virtual and the physical, in order to offer to its players the sense of maximum enjoyment."

Jeremy Bailenson from the Virtual Human Interaction Lab (Stanford) talks at the Berkman Center about how the use of avatars fundamentally alters communication styles both in virtual and real world settings. (Includes video and slides)

Virtual world that allows people to learn about ancient history is actually holding a live music festival in the virtual space to motivate new users to interact and to entice would-be users to download the software the game requires

Healthcare facilities are discovering that practicing in the virtual world can have major benefits in real life. Doctors, nurses and students are using online community to learn how to cope with crises, boost clinical skills and make their facilities more efficient.

unclear why virtual classrooms would aid disabled

A meta-analysis finds that virtual reality may improve recovery in stroke patients.

Virtual Education Oasis... humm? Where do you think we will be in 2044? Author Ernest Cline, is interviewed about his novel Ready Player One, where "schools are built like palaces on the violence-free planet Ludus, and students take daytrips through both the Louvre and the human heart. These are but some of the benefits offered by the OASIS, a massive, multiplayer online game where most people in 2044 choose to spend their existence, away from the troubles of the real world. The OASIS combines the scope of a galaxy with the immersion of the Matrix; it is a near-perfect virtual reality."

Using open source Virtual World software to intentionally disrupt an education system. A bold vision and I think an opportunity for bold research.

I wonder if this will encourage or discourage trips to the museum. If you can get the experience virtually, why not view it from home?

What i found most interesting about this article was the idea that the popularity of Facebook games has caused a "technological step backward"

A virtual farm attracting up to 83 million aspiring farmers monthly has a video game developers scrambling to find ways to plough the booming popularity of games on the social networks.

A start-up trying to bring some real world flavor to virtual worlds on the net plans to publicly launch an online real m it calls Project X now.

Covers topics we have been discussing for the class lately. Also, provides views on transfer from virtual world to physical world.

Special section of Education Week focusing on virtual schooling

This article brings us back to an old unanswered question...how will we assess students to truly capture what they are learning? Online platforms tend to rely heavily on multiple choice. Online course developers will need to be more creative than plain old multiple choice in order to prove the rigor of the online environment.

The expansion of virtual education puts companies that provide e-learning services under the microscope As researchers, politicians, and the general public have begun to question the results of fully online virtual schooling, private providers-particularly for-profit companies-that supply curriculum, content, and sometimes instruction and school management for online education are facing the most scrutiny.

This just looks cool! I can imagine science teachers using it in their classrooms.

"Ninety-five percent of the energy that life on Earth requires are fueled by photosynthetic processes." Scientists are building virtual simulations to better understand how these processes work.

This is very, very sad. The irony of this tragedy should not be overlooked however. Obsession with virtual dependant leads to starvation of real child.