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how we can use virtual worlds with Moodle

basic introduction to why virtual worlds are good for education, and also provide a basic overview of some of the most interesting virtual worlds/tools on the market today.

Will a virtual bank for teachers to share ideas revolutionise lesson planning or stifle creativity?

At present, most teachers wince at the very mention of virtual learning platforms. Most VLPs are a horrific combination of required - the government has declared that all schools must have one - and useless. Unconnected and underdeveloped, many VLPs are devoid of content: empty cathedrals, monuments to technological failure.

"The students we teach come from a media age; they are visually bombarded from every angle. As teachers we have to compete against their entertainment. A worksheet is not enough to engage them any more."

Uma “comunidade de prática” virtual (CdP) é uma rede de indivíduos que têm uma área de interesse comum e sobre a qual comunicam em linha. Estes praticantes partilham recursos (por exemplo experiências, problemas e soluções, ferramentas e metodologias). Esta troca resulta no aprofundamento do conhecimento de cada participante dessa comunidade e contribui para o aumento do conhecimento nessa área de interesse.

Organizing and Managing    

Content Collaboration   

Curriculum Sharing     

Building a Learning Community Palloff and Pratt recommend seven basic steps for building a successful learning community. These include: clearly defining the purpose of the community, creating a distinctive gathering place for the group, promoting effective leadership from within, defining norms and a clear code of conduct, allowing for a range of member roles, allowing for and facilitating of subgroups, and allowing members to resolve their own disputes. The authors caution that it is possible to develop a community that has strong social connections between the students, but where very little learning actually takes place. Thus, it is important that the instructor be actively engaged in the process and encourages students who stray from the learning goals of the course. Specifically, the authors recommend: (1) engaging students with subject matter, (2) accounting for attendance and participation, (3) working with students who do not participate, (4) understanding the signs of when a student is in trouble, and (5) building online communities that accommodate personal interaction. Indicators of a Successful Learning Community You can tell if the learning community is working when you see: active interaction, sharing of resources among students, collaborative learning evidenced by comments directed primarily student to student rather than student to instructor, socially constructed meaning evidenced by agreement or questioning, with the intent to achieve agreement on issues of meaning, and expressions of support and encouragement exchanged between students, as well as willingness to critically evaluate the work of others. Finally, they suggest that the keys to successful learning communities are honesty, responsiveness, relevance, respect, openness, and empowerment. Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (1999). Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Research has shown that academic dishonesty is pervasive on college campuses,