Construction Junction Workshop - Self -Directed Learning

After some time away from posting to my blog...I am back. I have been spending some time thinking about an updated design for the ECMM space on the U of S property in SL. One of the considerations is to include educational space designed for researching self -directed processes in non-formal learning environments. This design consideration has come up due to a SSHRC (Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada) research project titled Self-Directed Processes and Virtual Communities in Non-Formal Learning Environments. I am grateful to be a member of the team, as a research assistant, in this project being led by Richard Schwier, Dirk Morrison and Ben Daniel.

To learn more about theories, principles and skills in the designing of educational space in SL, I have enrolled in a workshop titled, Construction Junction - Educational Design and Building in Second Life. This is a four week workshop focusing on the design and building of educational environment in the 3D virtual world of Second Life.














Image retrieved August 8/08 from: http://constructionjunction.wikispaces.com

The design methods being used by this course are very creative. For example when I first signed up for the course I was sent an email telling me that I would be added to the Construction Junction group in SL. This would allow me to access the area on Prudentia Island in SL where the course would be held. The email also told me to go to Prudentia Island and choose a plot of land for myself where I would be allowed to build. When I teleported to Prudentia Island and turned on my property lines (view>property lines), I saw lines separating the land into plots. On each plot was a box (as shown in image below) that you could click to claim your plot of land to build on for the duration of the course.













Boxes for choosing land plot on Prudentia Island. (photo taken August 8/08).

The next post will discuss the Day 1 session titled Educational Design & Building.