Education in virtual environment

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Education in virtual environment

• Mihaela Banek-Zorica
• Antonija Lujanac

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We are...

• Mihaela Banek-Zorica, dr.sc.
• mbanek_at_ffzg.hr
• Antonija Lujanac, student
• (Information Science and Pedagogy)
• ahorvat2_at_ffzg.hr
• Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of
  Humanities and Social Sciences, Ivana Lucica 3,
  Zagreb, Croatia

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Content

• Forms of education in virtual environment (VE)
• Implementation of VE in Croatia
• Both sides of VE

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In Croatia in 2002. more than 60 of high school
students spent most of their time on the Internet

• Is it good or bad news?

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Forms of education in a virtual environment

• Todays ICT supported education is implemented in
  different types of classrooms
• 1. multimedia classrooms,
• 2. interactive multimedia classrooms,
• 3. virtual environments.

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Multimedia classroom

• -usually equipped with TV, speakers and an LCD
  projector
• teaching mode is still oriented towards teacher
  as a information keeper i.e. teacher centered
  and does not respond to the learners individual
  needs.
• only advantage of the multimedia classrooms
  versus classical classrooms is in students'
  experience which is enhanced due to the
  simultaneous activation of several perceptual
  organs ultimately leading to a positive knowledge
  transfer

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Interactive multimedia classroom

• Interactive multimedia classrooms are the easiest
  form of a virtual environment that endorses full
  interactivity.
• Each student has his own computer connected with
  others and maintain their rhytm of learning
• The most complex type of VE, virtual classrooms,
  present a combination of interactive multimedia
  classrooms connected to the Internet and enriched
  with advanced audio-visual devices and virtual
  representation of the world.

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Virtual classroom

• One of the many advantages of learning in such
  virtual environment is the interdisciplinary
  teaching scenarios in which knowledge is set in a
  broader context and becomes more comprehensive
  this of better quality.
• The teacher chooses a learning objective and
  students themselves select the learning paths
  that the system generates. Students can create
  new situations, study them, change the method of
  trial and error and finally finish the learning
  task.

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Figure1. Virtual classrooms should be connected

• In these environments high level of interaction
  is obtained and physical location of students and
  teachers is in not of importance.

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Implementation of virtual environments in Croatia

• Creation of virtual world Croatia (project for
  the gifted children)
• Using program 3D Construction Kid many children
  develop numerous architectural buildings
  (buildings, wind power, holiday resorts), set up
  exhibitions of pictures in museums, etc.
• It was noted that participation in this project
  develops creativity and emotional intelligence of
  gifted children.
• Figure 2. Gestures
  and mimicry bots in virtual worlds
  Croatia are at a very high
  level.

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• Some children also participate in the robot
  making courses using ROBOLAB system that expands
  the range of LEGO sensors, computer-controlled
  motors and RCX module combining LEGO blocks with
  the right industrial microcontrollers.
• Figure 3.Modul RCX
  Figure 4.Creating robot

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Project Knowledge organization, management and
sharing in electronic learning environment

• Project goal was to test Second Life and create
  an extension to the current Faculty of Humanities
  and Social Sciences (FHSS) e-learning environment
  specifically for the part-time students and their
  distant learning courses.
• Extending current electronic educational
  environment to the virtual 3D space was motivated
  by the fact that avatars and virtual worlds could
  partially substitute the real life classes and
  interaction both between students and between
  students and teacher.

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Figure 5. Virtual learning space of Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences, University of
Zagreb in Second Life

• Figure 5. Virtual learning space of Faculty of
  Humanities and Social Sciences, University of
  Zagreb in Second Life

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• Course was a success, students had learned how to
  act in virtual world and were able to utilize
  previously learned skills like information
  literacy, programming, reference service etc.
• As most of the student, attending this course,
  were employed in the school or university
  libraries, additional outcome is their
  introduction to new technology which they can now
  implement in their work environment.

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Do we really need virtual education in our
schools? - both sides of virtual education

• For example, in Germany out of 11 million
  students 700 thousand experience that their
  behaviour interferes with their learning.
• Out of the 100 students they observed nearly 23
  reported various forms of aggressive behaviour.
• Teachers and professional staff often complain
  about the lack of time and would very gladly
  spend time doing more to raise young.
• Many students complain about the overcrowding
  learning material that remain on their cognitive
  level, but do not penetrate more deeply into
  their emotional lives.
• (Winkel, R. Djeca koju je teko odgojiti. Zagreb
  Educa, 1996. Str.26-27)

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• This study finds that excessive playing of
  electronic games is associated with school grades
  below 3.00 (Faculty of Medicine, Prince of
  Songkla UniversityHat-Yai)
• The overpowering stimulation and excitement that
  virtual reality produces can lull the imagination
  and numb sympathetic feelings for pain and
  suffering
• (Soko Education (Santa Monica Middleway Press,
  2001)Children exposed to mass media and
  advertising are becoming materialistic
  exploitation. Around three billion children
  around the world spending money goes to the
  goods, sweets, CDs and games
• (The Parenting Magazine, 2009)

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• Control-free environment is more harmful than
  useful. Do we need to encourage virtual education
  in schools?
• There are several reasons for this...

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• Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of
  learning in a virtual environment it has become
  clear that today's generation wants and needs
  information-based education using new media.
• All the negative consequences of virtual
  education can be avoided when including virtual
  learning environment in the regular school
  system, because then students will be more
  satisfied with the school as an institution.

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Conclusion

• The school system should not strive only for the
  intellectual development of youth, but also
  moral, emotional and social.
• And finally, through virtual education, it is
  possible to achieve a better relationship with
  young people. They will surely be grateful if
  adults understand their ways of communication and
  transform the traditional ways of learning.

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Thank you for your attention!

• Questions?