Advancing Learning Through Virtual Worlds

To learn effectively we need not only to experience but also to be able to share our experience with others. In education institutions this has traditionally meant listening (to a talking head in front of the class), reading assigned texts, and communicating what has been learned by answering some pre-defined questions. A more recent view of learning adds to both the experience and the communicating aspects of learning. In this view, more emphasis is placed on experiences where students discover, are involved in, and are exposed in different ways to the topic at hand. Communication is redefined so that not only is it recognized as a means for repeating facts and information but also as a means for reflection and “building” wisdom. Learning is recognized as acquired know-how and skills, changes in attitudes, new theories, and/or new ways of thinking. This more recent view of learning, however, leads to a number of new opportunities and challenges faced by both teachers and students. AbsTRACT