Multi-User Virtual Learning Environments in Education

2011 ◽  
pp. 146-159
Author(s):  
Nancy Sardone ◽  
Roberta Devlin-Scherer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Beginning Teacher ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
School Students

Today’s middle school students represent a generation growing up where digital tools abound and where using them for home and school is the norm. Virtual learning environments to include multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) are fairly new to formal educational settings as teaching and learning tools but are growing in popularity. These learning environments have an ability to reach all levels of students in ways that are both familiar and appealing. This chapter reviews interest and trends in educational games and describes beginning teacher reactions to using one of these critical thinking tools designed for middle school students. Recommendations for future implementation in classrooms are made. Faculty perspectives about these newer forms of educational technology are explored.

Multi-User Virtual Learning Environments in Education

2011 ◽  
pp. 1967-1980
Author(s):  
Nancy Sardone ◽  
Roberta Devlin-Scherer
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle School Students ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Games ◽  
Beginning Teacher ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
School Students

Today’s middle school students represent a generation growing up where digital tools abound and where using them for home and school is the norm. Virtual learning environments to include multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) are fairly new to formal educational settings as teaching and learning tools but are growing in popularity. These learning environments have an ability to reach all levels of students in ways that are both familiar and appealing. This chapter reviews interest and trends in educational games and describes beginning teacher reactions to using one of these critical thinking tools designed for middle school students. Recommendations for future implementation in classrooms are made. Faculty perspectives about these newer forms of educational technology are explored.

scholarly journals Maintaining Middle School Students’ Engagement in Virtual Learning Environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. p1
Author(s):  
Blanca Ibarra ◽  
Pierre Lu
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Social Studies Teachers ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
School Students

The current COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for teachers as they transition to teaching in virtual learning environments. Virtual learning environments have forced educators to adapt teaching strategies and become creative and innovative to maintain student engagement (Korkmaz & Toraman, 2020). Middle school social studies teachers have always dealt with a lack of student interest in learning history, and the current instructional setting is requiring a reimagined teacher craft to deliver high-quality instruction. The interaction between students and teachers often depends on the content, highly effective questioning, choice in response methods, technology tools, or learning platforms (Czerkawski & Lyman, 2016). A conceptual understanding of the types of engagement, including cognitive, affective, and behavioral (Buric & Franzel, 2020; Raes, Vanneste, Pieters, Windey, Van Den Noortgate & Depaepe, 2020; Van Uden, Ritzen & Pieters, 2013; Ding, Kim & Orey, 2017) will help inform the types of instructional strategies that will be most effective at increasing and maintaining student engagement. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences and problems associated with engaging students in virtual learning environments for middle school social studies teachers in a border school district with over 40,000 students. The overarching theme that emerged from the data collected was that teachers play a significant role in creating a learning environment that supports students, encourages participation through interactive technology, and nurtures relationships to promote student engagement. Findings suggest educators understand the challenges educators face to keep students engaged and motivated, and some of the best practices that can increase student engagement in virtual learning.

Developing information literacy courses for students through virtual learning environments in Tanzania: Prospects and challenges

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110182
Author(s):  
Evans F Wema
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
The Face

This article reviews literature on the use of virtual learning environments by highlighting their potential and the challenges of introducing the same in Tanzania. It introduces the concept of virtual learning environments by demonstrating their applications to support teaching and learning. The article discusses the use of virtual learning environments in teaching information literacy courses by highlighting the success of using such tools in facilitating the teaching of information literacy courses to library users. In this review, special emphasis is placed on attempts by Tanzanian institutions of higher learning to introduce web-based teaching of information literacy and the challenges faced. The review reveals the need for Tanzanian institutions of higher learning to develop virtual learning environments to facilitate the teaching of information literacy courses to students and faculty so as to reach many of those who may not manage to attend the face-to-face information literacy sessions that are offered by librarians on a regular basis.

VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR ESL COURSES

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria CHISEGA-NEGRILĂ
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Face To Face

Abstract: As the time in which online teaching and learning was still an element of novelty has long been gone, virtual learning environments have to be studied thoroughly so that they will provide students not only with the necessary knowledge, but also with the proper tools to meet their learning objectives. The advancement in information technology and the access to an almost inordinate number of learning and teaching tools should have already been fructified and, as a result, not only teachers, but also learners should have already picked up the fruit of knowledge grown in the vast virtual environment of the Internet. However, as education has recently moved almost entirely online, some questions have arisen. Are the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) enough to offer ESL students both motivation and knowledge? Will foreign languages benefit from this growing trend or will traditional, face-to-face interaction, prove to have been more efficient? The present article will look into some of these questions and into the benefits of VLEs in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

U-Learning and Virtual Classrooms in Social Sciences Education

2020 ◽  
pp. 246-267
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Virtual Classrooms ◽  
Learning Modalities ◽  
Educational Processes

The development of internet, wireless devices, and sensors; the expansion of the use of mobile technologies; or the development of applications have enabled different ubiquitous learning modalities. u-Learning is an expanded model from e-learning and m-Learning with features such as mobile, collaborative, interactive, omni-synchronous, and experimental that fosters interaction and breaks limitations by place and time in the teaching and learning of social sciences, geography, and history. U-Learning is considered as a learning model that integrates technology in the assessment and monitoring of educational processes of the students, a learning model where virtual classrooms and virtual learning environments are highlighted. In a social context with a lack of civic engagement and democratic participation, interactive character of virtual classrooms, including social networks, is essential because they connect teachers, students, and parents in addition to encouraging participation in virtual learning environments.

Three Stages in the Social Construction of Virtual Learning Environments

2012 ◽  
pp. 1518-1529
Author(s):  
Ken Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Small School ◽  
Learning Partnerships ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Three Stages

Schools located in rural communities are often physically small in terms of the number of students who attend them in person on a daily basis, but through the introduction of e-learning partnerships, they can become large educational institutions based on the enhanced range of teaching and learning they can provide. Small school capacities can be enhanced by e-learning and the creation of virtual learning environments. Structurally, the capacity of schools can be enhanced by internet-based inter-institutional collaboration. Pedagogically, e-learning can enable schools to share teaching and learning within virtual learning environments spanning participating sites to facilitate student engagement with ideas, people and places in new, interactive ways. Three stages are identified in the development of teaching and learning in the virtual structures that complement traditional schools.

scholarly journals Methodologies to improve communication in virtual learning environments

Comunicar ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (34) ◽  
pp. 163-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honorio Salmerón-Pérez ◽  
Sonia Rodríguez-Fernández ◽  
Calixto Gutiérrez-Braojos
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Computer Assisted Learning ◽  
Aprendizaje Cooperativo ◽  
Entornos Virtuales

The main advances in education and the current expansion of training models are due to the incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs), as well as pedagogical elements arising from the socio-cultural approach. Communication is an essential element in the processes of teaching and learning in this educational approach. Therefore, ICTs offer us an excellent innovative support, allowing use to make use of such virtual learning environments as Collaborative Computer-Assisted Learning (CSCL), which enables communication, mediation and knowledge construction. Virtual communication is one of the essential elements in blended learning, and it is even starting to play an important role in traditional teaching environments. In this regard, we consider that a contribution from different teaching and learning experiences in virtual scenarios (Synergeia; BSCW; Moodle…) is necessary. In this article, we describe several cooperative and collaborative computer-mediated learning experiences with students of different educational levels. The results and conclusions on Collaborative Computer-Assisted Learning experiences reveal an improvement in motivation, academic performance and the development of social and communication skills, regardless of the use of cooperative (cooperative learning techniques) or collaborative learning. Los principales avances educativos y el actual auge de los modelos de formación se deben a la incorporación de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación, así como a la aplicación de elementos pedagógicos provenientes de aproximación sociocultural. Desde este enfoque educativo, la comunicación es un elemento esencial en los procesos de aprendizaje y enseñanza, por tanto, estas herramientas, entendidas como artefactos tecnológicos de producción cultural, ofrecen un excelente soporte innovador, permitiendo contar con entornos virtuales de aprendizaje, como las ofrecidas por las plataformas para el aprendizaje colaborativo mediado por ordenador (CSCL) que favorecen la comunicación, la mediación y la construcción compartida del conocimiento (coconstrucción). La comunicación virtual es uno de los aspectos esenciales en la formación a distancia como también lo es la formación semipresencial (blended learning), que comienza a adquirir un importante papel en contextos presenciales que utilizan estos entornos como instancias complementarias destinadas a extender la clase fuera de las fronteras del aula. En este sentido, es relevante un aporte de las diversas experiencias telemáticas de aprendizaje que usan modalidades de aprendizaje cooperativo o colaborativo en entornos virtuales. En el trabajo que presentamos se organizan y describen experiencias de aprendizaje cooperativo y colaborativo mediado por ordenador con estudiantes de diferentes niveles educativos. Los resultados y conclusiones de dichas experiencias evidencian una mejora de habilidades sociales, habilidades comunicativas, motivación y rendimiento académico independientemente del tipo de modalidad de aprendizaje compartido.

scholarly journals Managing creativity in collaborative virtual learning environments e: A DL corporate project

Comunicar ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (43) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Chibás-Ortíz ◽  
Gerardo Borroto-Carmona ◽  
Fernando Almeida-Santos
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Redes Sociales ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Aprendizaje Colaborativo ◽  
Entornos Virtuales

There is a currently ongoing discussion regarding the most effective methodologies for establishing collaborative virtual learning environments (VLEs) and the true contribution to student creativity and innovation in such environments, particularly in the corporate sphere. Educational social networks based on collaborative learning have grown exponentially in recent years, with countless networks now established in nearly all fields. However, stimulation of creativity among VLE users in general, and specifically in the corporate sphere, has become an important issue in educational research. Utilizing experiences of corporate distance learning (DE) in Brazil, the present paper proposes a means of evaluating the presence of creativity indicators among students in collaborative virtual teaching and learning environments. Case studies are used to compare a corporate VLE project that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) under a creative and educommunicative approach with a project that uses ICTs under a traditional approach. The study was conducted in partnership with the consulting and e-learning company Perfectu. The results obtained suggest that the pedagogic model adopted and the manner in which ICTs are employed determine whether ICTs lead to innovative results, not the use of ICTs alone. The average level of creativity in the group that used the creative and educommunicative model was higher than that of the group that used the traditional paradigm. Se mantiene abierta en nuestros días la discusión con respecto a las metodologías más efectivas en los entornos virtuales de aprendizaje (EVA) colaborativos y su verdadera contribución al desarrollo de la creatividad y la actitud innovadora en los estudiantes, particularmente en los ámbitos corporativos. Las redes sociales educativas basadas en el aprendizaje colaborativo crecen exponencialmente, y se hacen ya incontables en cualquier área del conocimiento. Sin embargo, la estimulación de la creatividad de los usuarios de los EVA en general y en el ámbito corporativo en específico, se ha convertido en un problema científico de gran importancia para las investigaciones en las Ciencias de la Educación. El presente trabajo se propone valorar la presencia de indicadores de creatividad en los estudiantes al interactuar con los entornos virtuales de enseñanza de aprendizaje colaborativo, basados en la experiencia de educación a distancia (EAD) corporativa acumulada en Brasil. El método de investigación utilizado es el del estudio de caso, que permitió comparar la realización de un proyecto EAD corporativo a partir de la utilización de las TIC con un enfoque creativo y educomunicativo, con otro que también utilizó las TIC pero con una visión tradicional. Fue realizado en la empresa de consultoría y e-learning Perfectu. Los resultados obtenidos sugieren que el modelo pedagógico adoptado y la forma de utilizar las TIC son las que llevan a resultados innovadores y no las TIC por sí mismas, dado que se observó que el promedio de creatividad del grupo que trabajó bajo el patrón educomunicativo-creativo fue más elevado que para el grupo que trabajó con el paradigma tradicional.

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