scholarly journals 3D Assistive Technologies and Advantageous Themes for Collaboration and Blended Learning of Users with Disabilities

2013 ◽  
pp. 421-453
Author(s):  
Georgios A. Dafoulas ◽  
Noha Saleeb
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

The significance of newly emergent 3D virtual worlds to different genres of users is currently a controversial subject in deliberation. Users range from education pursuers, business contenders, and social seekers to technology enhancers and many more who comprise both users with normal abilities in physical life and those with different disabilities. This study aims to derive and critically analyze, using grounded theory, advantageous and disadvantageous themes, and their sub concepts of providing e-learning through 3D Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), like Second Life, to disabled users. Hence providing evidence that 3DVLEs not only support traditional physical learning, but also offer e-learning opportunities unavailable through 2D VLEs (like Moodle, Blackboard), and offer learning opportunities unavailable through traditional physical education. Furthermore, to achieve full potential from the above-mentioned derived concepts, architectural and accessibility design requirements of 3D educational facilities proposed by different categories of disabled students to accommodate for their needs, are demonstrated.

scholarly journals 3D Assistive Technologies and Advantageous Themes for Collaboration and Blended Learning of Users with Disabilities

2011 ◽  
pp. 25-69
Author(s):  
Georgios A. Dafoulas ◽  
Noha Saleeb
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Design Requirements ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

The significance of newly emergent 3D virtual worlds to different genres of users is currently a controversial subject in deliberation. Users range from education pursuers, business contenders, and social seekers to technology enhancers and many more who comprise both users with normal abilities in physical life and those with different disabilities. This study aims to derive and critically analyze, using grounded theory, advantageous and disadvantageous themes, and their sub concepts of providing e-learning through 3D Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), like Second Life, to disabled users. Hence providing evidence that 3DVLEs not only support traditional physical learning, but also offer e-learning opportunities unavailable through 2D VLEs (like Moodle, Blackboard), and offer learning opportunities unavailable through traditional physical education. Furthermore, to achieve full potential from the above-mentioned derived concepts, architectural and accessibility design requirements of 3D educational facilities proposed by different categories of disabled students to accommodate for their needs, are demonstrated.

3D Virtual Worlds as Creative Pedagogy for Art Education

2013 ◽  
pp. 174-205
Author(s):  
Lilly Lu
Keyword(s):  
Art Education ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Potential Application ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Curriculum And Pedagogy ◽  
Art Form ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
Creative Pedagogy

As 3D Virtual Worlds (VWs) have become an ongoing trend in education, their potential application in art education needs to be demystified. The author reviews the literature on 3D VWs for education and art education that highlights their unique characteristics and related issues and reveals the learning opportunities for engaging students. Next, the author presents her virtual world curriculum and pedagogy as well as students’ work examples and their responses to the new art and learning media from her Art Café@Second Life research project. At the end, she makes recommendations for future research that examines the 3D VW as a creative learning/teaching environment, art form/medium, and exhibition/creation ground, and an emerging curricular topic for inquiry.

scholarly journals Assistive Technologies and Environmental Design Concepts for Blended Learning and Teaching for Disabilities within 3D Virtual Worlds and Learning Environments

2012 ◽  
pp. 50-74
Author(s):  
Noha Saleeb ◽  
Georgios A. Dafoulas
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learners ◽  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Educational Facilities ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Virtual Spaces ◽  
E Learning

3D Virtual Learning Environments (3D VLEs) are increasingly becoming prominent supporters of blended learning for all kinds of students including adult learners with or without disabilities. Due to the evidenced effect of architectural design of physical learning spaces on students’ learning and current lack of design codes for creating 3D virtual buildings, this case study aims at evaluating the suitability of the architectural design elements of existing educational facilities and learning spaces within 3D VLEs specifically for delivering blended e-learning for adult students with disabilities. This comprises capturing student contentment and satisfaction levels from different design elements of the 3D virtual spaces in an attempt to issue recommendations for the development of 3D educational facilities and hence initiate a framework for architectural design of 3D virtual spaces to augment accessibility, appeal and engagement for enhancing the e-learning experience of under-graduate, post-graduate and independent-study adult learners with disabilities within these virtual worlds.

Authoring Adaptive 3D Virtual Learning Environments

2016 ◽  
pp. 714-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Ewais ◽  
Olga De Troyer
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Adaptive Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Authoring Tool ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Adaptive Learning Environment ◽  
3D Virtual Learning Environments

The use of 3D and Virtual Reality is gaining interest in the context of academic discussions on E-learning technologies. However, the use of 3D for learning environments also has drawbacks. One way to overcome these drawbacks is by having an adaptive learning environment, i.e., an environment that dynamically adapts to the learner and the activities that he performs in the environment. In this paper, the authors discuss adaptive 3D virtual leaning environments and explain how a course author can specify such an environment (i.e., authoring). The approach and tool that the authors present allow authors to create adaptive 3D virtual learning environments without the need to be an expert in 3D or using programming or scripting languages. The authors also conducted an evaluation to validate the approach and the usability and acceptability of the authoring tool. Based on the results, recommendations for authoring adaptive 3D virtual learning environments have been formulated.

Educational Contents and Creativity in Virtual Environments

2013 ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
Ilaria Mascitti ◽  
Daniela Di Marco ◽  
Monica Fasciani
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Street Art ◽  
Teaching Pedagogy ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Educational Potential ◽  
Educational Contents

This chapter reflects on the educational potential of virtual worlds and draws on the results of ST.ART project - Street Artists in a virtual space (www.startproject.eu). ST.ART project innovative aspect embraces both the topic (street art) and the methodology (virtual platforms as e-learning and 3D virtual worlds) as well as the pedagogy applied that uses an inquiry-based method (learning by doing) to support a traditional deductive teaching pedagogy. This approach is not only related to the use of a relatively new technology but also to the educational, pedagogical, cultural, and motivational benefits derived from the chosen methodology. The chapter describes new insights and findings that emerged during the experimentation phase of the project and that were never anticipated when the project was first designed.

Second Language E-Learning and Professional Training with Second Life®

2011 ◽  
pp. 207-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Edwards ◽  
Mercedes Rico ◽  
Eva Dominguez ◽  
J. Enrique Agudo
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Constructivist Learning Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
E Learning ◽  
University Degree ◽  
Social Constructivist Learning

Web 2.0 technologies are described as new and emerging for all fields of knowledge, including academia. Innovative e-learning formats like on-demand video, file sharing, blogs, Wikis, podcasting and virtual worlds are gaining increasing popularity among educators and students due to their emphasis on flexible, collaborative and community-building features, a promising natural channel for the social constructivist learning theory. This chapter addresses the application of e-learning in university degree programs based on exploiting the practical, intensive and holistic aspects of Second Life® (SL™). Although the specific framework dealt with is English as a foreign language, it seems feasible to assume that the learning processes are equally transferable to other disciplines. In light of the aforementioned premises, the outlook of e-learning 2.0 approaches require action research and shared experiences in order to back up or challenge the claims and expectations of the academic community concerned with best practices in education.

Social Presence Functions in Task-Based Language Activities in a Virtual Classroom in Second Life

2017 ◽  
pp. 181-198
Author(s):  
Sedat Akayoglu ◽  
Golge Seferoglu
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual Classroom ◽  
3D Environment ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
Discourse Patterns ◽  
Asking Questions ◽  
Expression Of Emotions

As the developments occurred in terms of technology, new tools and platforms started to be used in classroom settings. However, there is a need for discourse analysis of these tools and environments in order to better understand the flow of communication. This study aimed at determining discourse patterns in terms of social presence observed in a course carried out in a 3D environment, Second Life. At the end of the study, it was found that the most frequently used social presence functions were expression of emotions, vocatives and asking questions respectively; the least frequently used social presence functions were phatics and salutations, referring explicitly to the others' messages and quoting from others' messages. The findings of this study were found to be in parallel with the literature. This study might be helpful for researchers, educators and students in order to better understand the contexts created in 3D virtual worlds.

The Use of Virtual Worlds for Developing Intercultural Competences

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisiane Machado ◽  
Amarolinda Zanela Klein ◽  
Angilberto Freitas ◽  
Eliane Schlemmer ◽  
Cristiane Drebes Pedron
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Educational Method ◽  
Exchange Program ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Conversational Learning

In this research, the authors present a framework for developing Intercultural Competence (IC) and use Tridimensional Digital Virtual Worlds (3DVW) as environments for developing Intercultural Competence. They developed an artifact, via Design Research, constituted by an educational method using the 3DVW Second Life® as the place for a virtual exchange program between 92 Brazilian and Portuguese master students. The results of the authors' study indicate that the 3DVW can be used for the development of IC because it allows rich experiential and relational/conversational learning opportunities, especially due to the affordances of immersion/sense of presence, social interaction, content production and knowledge sharing.

Rethinking Cognition, Representations, and Processes in 3D Online Social Learning Environments

2008 ◽  
pp. 176-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
James G. Jones ◽  
Stephen C. Bronack
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
3D Virtual Worlds ◽  
Movement Artifacts ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University ◽  
Do So

Three-dimensional (3D) online social environments have emerged as viable alternatives to traditional methods of creating spaces for teachers and learners to teach to and to learn from one another. Robust environments with a bias toward peer-based, network-driven learning allow learners in formal environments to make meaning in ways more similar to those used in informal and in-person settings. These new created environments do so by accounting for presence, immediacy, movement, artifacts, and multi-modal communications in ways that help learners create their own paths of knowing using peer-supported methods. In this chapter, we will review the basics of the technologies and the theoretical underpinnings that support the development of such environments, provide a framework for creating, sustaining, and considering the effectiveness of such environments, and will conclude by describing two examples of 3D virtual worlds used to support course instruction at the university level.

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