Virtual Learning Environments

As most of the students in this class, I don’t have any experience with gaming. Well, I HADN’T have any experience, until yesterday when Jenee was so kind to introduce me to the WoW which was a quiet successful experience for me. I loved my Blood Elph character who learned how to kill weird trees, flying fish, wild cats, etc. Of course, this wasn’t the major point of our gaming. WoW is a great tool to learn how to collaborate, stay focused, listen attentively and remember things. Plus, it’s a god platform to learn how to care about your team members. When I was almost dead in the fight with an evil wild lion, Jenee (being my team player) saved my life. I’m not even mentioning other, universal, skills that a student may learn by participating in similar games (like, analytical skills, thinking, etc).

I’ve also checked a number of other, social changes-oriented, video games (America 2049, Urgent Evoke, Deep Down, The Curfew, Fate of the World (which, unfortunately, is made only for PC usage), Inside the Haiti Earthquake , etc.). Due to lack of time, I didn’t go far in-depth in the games, but from what I could experience I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of content, complexity, actuality of some of the games. I felt bad that I hadn’t raised a habit in myself to play video games, and for me it takes much efforts and patience to get fully involved in any of them; but with proper instructions, trailers, probably some preliminary real meetups, workshops, I think, even such NOT-gamers like me would become we easily engaged in them. Plus, there are different options for starters. For instance, the documentary game on Haiti Earthquake is very simple to use (you basically don’t have to do anything, just choose a role in which you’d like to experience the events in Haiti, and take a video-tour).

Deep Down, a video documentary about coal mining in the community, impressed me with how detailed and “like in real life” its content is built. Urgent Evoke’s introductions are beautifully made in a shape of comics which is very attractive for people who grew up in a “comics-culture” and contemporary teenagers. America 2049 is more politically active adults / young people – oriented game.

As Jane McGonigal’ claimed in her Ted Talk, “Gaming can make a better world”. There is enormous potential in the whole notion of gaming. We should  remember that gaming has always been an important part of human life. As E. Fink, the author of gaming concept of culture, put it, the game is a “basic phenomena of human existence and a unique opportunity of human life”.

As for educational and social changes purposes, video games should definitely be considered as a significant element of teaching and motivating the youth.

This weeks articles discussed the facts/concerns about considering online games as a future possibility for businesses and classrooms.  Though I can not agree or disagree if this type of platform will surface well for businesses or classrooms I will say that considering this possibility is not a bad option.  However, do studies or facts show that Wikipedia and Yahoo Answers are the best ways to pertain information or is a game such as World of Warcraft create that illusion that gaming does show the way of the future for business and classrooms.  The last article (Virtual Worlds, Real Leaders), demonstrate that comparison however can we not agree that in the virtual world is not as risky as the real world but in the end both imply the same risks?

I really enjoyed Siemens reading as it explained why LMSs fail in some way. I strongly believe that giving a dynamic to your class whether online or not is essential to a successful learning experience. LMSs cannot allow students to be passive in front of an array of information. An LMS is not meant to be a bible of countless information but more so a tool to engage students on one topic. The same rules apply in a regular classroom.

Like Fran, I also find interesting that we are using other platforms than Blackboard for this class. These previous semesters, after talking to students, I realized that students thought of Blackboard as an archaic and obsolete tool as far as conversation was concerned. Indeed, in most of my classes, the conversation aspect required by the different professors on Blackboard was not followed due to its unappealing side.

Therefore I believe that the focus of e-learning should not be focused on the different technological tools that could be used but more on the human aspect and the various needs that learners require. The tools given to the students have to be means of transportation taking them to a learning experience but not systems that they will try to figure out for the rest of the semester. LMSs need to keep in mind that they need to have a pedagogical approach.

After  reading Presence, Interaction And Data Space by Mike Leggett, I began to think about what presence meant. I am quite ambivalent when it comes to the definition of presence.

However, I came across a paper on the internet written by Rita and Ijsselsteijn called Being there: The experience of presence in mediated environments. The writers mention Lombard and Ditton for their categorization of presence into three distinct elements:

-          Physical Presence: idea of being physically present in a mediated space.

-          Social Presence: idea that refers to the sensation of being together with a virtual or remotely located communication partner(page 5).

-          Co-presence: In the middle of physical presence and social presence. Sense of people gathering in a communal space with physical and social characteristics.

You will find in this paper, ( http://www.neurovr.org/emerging/book4/4_01RIVA.PDF) on page 6 , a figure illustrating the liaison between these three concepts as well as the corresponding media that fall into the different categories.

I could not agree more with the SVE’s incorporation into the co-presence category. Video – Gamers, playing  on common virtual platforms as well as First Person Shooter (FPS) games, are involved in a combative platform in which each avatar plays a significant role. These games are played online with multiple video gamers who prefer to use the voice channel to communicate. They are socially present through their voice chat but they are also physically present through their avatars on their virtual platform.

Ok. I have something to admit. I love open source programs. Before I even looked at Moodle I knew I was going to have a positive opinion of it. I knew that because I saw the “open source” on their website. Unlike commercial LMS’s like Blackboard which make a business (or a monopoly) out of their educational tools, Moodle makes a community out of its educational tools. The greatest asset that open source programs like Moodle have is its users; when users find Moodle to be lacking a specific tool they only need create it or to bring it up to the right people and that tool can be created and distributed freely amongst the educational community. With Blackboard and similar LMS companies, an educator, company, or school must pay for the license of the program, then once the program is upgraded with new feature, they need to acquire a new license that covers those new features. For instance, The New School recently upgraded its Blackboard system, although they had a relatively new version of blackboard already, it did not have the new features such as class blogs and smartphone access which were becoming more in demand. With open source programs like Moodle it is often the users who create new features and it is the core company that collects and incorporates those at a later time. After looking over the various Moodle sites I noticed two things; first, Moodle really does allows a great deal of customization for those who need it; second, the need to customize and create their own format can be a hinderance for some. Yes that’s right, Moodle has a drawback. The administrator themselves who sets up their sites don’t always know what their doing. The problem isn’t always with the tools or the content, but rather the design and the layouts. Students only need the tools to get the job done, but it is still important to keep students stimulated. Several of the sites I looked at were simple black and white sites with blue links to content, this can seem dull and although organized the ultra plain formats like that can seem less organized because it becomes difficult to differentiate between links, sections and modules making it harder to navigate. This is one time I would say commercial LMS’s are better, one thing people pay for in the programs fees is the paychecks of designers who have set up their programs for ease of use and navigation.

So, as a quick recap: Moodle, you’re not perfect.

Moodle: First Impressions

Moodle has a nicely structured platform and has my vote over Blackboard.  In the Film Studies demo, I appreciated the emphasis on lesson sequence and the capacity to break each lesson/class into a separate page.  The use of modules- particularly, quizzes and surveys -also helped to streamline the discussion process.  [Note: I appreciate the freedom blogs give everyone to expound on their views and arguments, but having a limit imposed on initiating forum threads can go a long way towards focusing the class when dozens or more are participating.  The Moodle discussion topic we are currently having is a perfect example –four or five of us have started separate threads on the same topic.]  Additionally, the ability to customize language settings is also critical as the New School and others try to push beyond the American-centric classroom.  Finally, like Nag, I agree that Moodle’s ability to suit industry and government as much as academia is imperative.  In my own work environment, my boss consistently pushes our in-house online strategy team to attend digital tech and social media conferences; it would be nice if we could participate in post-conference classes with the speakers (many who are already in academia).

All these benefits aside, Moodle’s aesthetic experience proved a huge drawback.  Personally, I would rather log into an LMS with Ning-like aesthetics, profile markers, homepage videos, etc.  Hopefully, a Moodle redesign is under consideration?   Even if a redesign is not in the cards, Moodle does seem to have an impressive list of registered sites.  I noticed two well-known U.S. high schools – Culver Academy and Brooklyn Tech – are using Moodle as well as the 1st infantry division to train new troops. My old high school in New Jersey is reportedly running on StudyWiz Spark (see demo).  I’m not sure if anyone else used StudyWiz or another LMS at their respective high schools – it is a new venture for my own.  We didn’t have cell phones let alone school email accounts when I was student (10 years ago).
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To answer Katharine’s question (below) about Moodle: I would argue that if students are not appreciating the benefits of Moodle it is because Moodle like the LMSes mentioned above do not target students where they already are (i.e. established social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Ning, Twitter).  As we wrap up our analysis for the semester, I am concerned that we are creating too many platforms that compete for students’ attention.  We need to start integrating the LMS or VLE model into existing platforms so that we can give students interactions that are meaningful, personal and consistent with their daily behavior as digital natives.  As noted on its website, StudyWiz prides itself on being able to seamlessly integrate with the iPod.  My response:  so what?  iPod interoperability is old news when teens today are using all-in-one iPhones that provide seamless access to not only their favorite music but Facebook, YouTube, Tweetdeck, etc.
In his analysis, Siemens argues that the “management” aspect of LMS’ creates a problem: “The underlying assumption is that if we just expose students to the content, learning will happen.”  He goes on to write that “our real-life manner of learning is at odds with the design and implementations of most LMS’” and that “most LMS platforms are attempting to shape the future of learning to fit into the structure of their systems, even though most learning today is informal and connectionist in nature.”
Informal and connectionist are key.
A few weeks ago WIRED ran a feature on the Great Wall of Facebook (I just reposted it on del.icio.us and Twitter).  The article largely addresses Google’s approach to information sourcing and the competing vision of Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg.  Per Wired: “Zuckerberg envisions a more personalized, humanized Web, where our network of friends, colleagues, peers, and family is our primary source of information, just as it is offline. In Zuckerberg’s vision, users will query this “social graph” to find a doctor, the best camera, or someone to hire—rather than tapping the cold mathematics of a Google search. It is a complete rethinking of how we navigate the online world, one that places Facebook right at the center.”

I’m not a huge fan of Zuckerberg (Andreesen and Bianchini’s Ning has more dynamic potential), but I believe he has the right vision- and one that can be adapted for educational purposes.  When I was in high school, most of the facts and theories I learned in the classroom didn’t take on meaning until later in the day:  during conversations with peers or dinner table chatter with my siblings and parents.  I think the same goes for today’s high school students only they now have virtual social networks for feedback and analysis at their disposal.  Facebook would do its “student” members well if it launched classroom networks (much like a Ning network) where teachers could customize modules (like Moodle) and updates on assignments, readings, quizzes, etc. appeared in profile newsfeeds or sidebars.  From there, students could share materials with friends in their broader networks – and “learning” could actually go viral.

I’m being idealistic, and I can already hear the legions screaming that they don’t want to friend teachers on Facebook.  But I refuse to buy the argument that integrating a VLE into Facebook, Ning or any other social network would dumb down learning for students.  Privacy settings are available.  And if anything, such interoperability would elevate the debate and dialogue currently taking place among digital natives on those platforms.

I think that ease of navigation with an LMS or VLE, like Moodle is only half the battle when it comes to engaging students online.  When the face-to-face interaction of an actual classroom is removed it is extremely difficult to stay maintain the sense of connection in the virtual.  I find personally, while working in VLE’s, it can become extremely difficult to manage all of the requirements and expectations of the class. I find that I check the syllabus several times a week to confirm that I have not missed any assignments or let anything slip through the cracks. This is where I think a website like Moodle is effective, in that it centralizes all of the learning materials and allows for greater ease of navigation.

I think its possible to be comfortable with the medium of computers and online games but still be hesitant when it comes to an online learning environment, mainly because they are still so new.  In addition many of the VLE’s fail to actually engage the student in the material, confusing that with basic levels of interactivity.  Just because we are reading the material and participating in a basic level discussion about it does not mean we are being engaged or challenged as learners.  This is where I feel a system like blackboard fails due to the fact that its very one dimensional and where it seems like sites like Moodle might be able to expand upon.  However, I think George Siemens in his article Learning Management Systems: The wrong place to start learning puts it best when he says “The more feature-rich an individual tool becomes, the more it loses its usefulness to the average user.” Couldn’t agree more.  Sometimes all of the bells and whistles do nothing more but create an obstacle between the student and the program.

Another problem, which one of the other posts spoke to, was the social nature involved with learning.  So much of what we learn is through the interaction with other students and I feel that sometimes VLE’s can make the student feel very isolated. This can be combated with sites such as seismic and twitter which helps to remind the student that they are not alone.  For me this semester, the use of Twitter has been extremely helpful with putting a face and personality behind the blog discussions.

I think that much like any sort of site that requires participation, one’s initial interacting experience can at times be quite frustrating if not given proper instruction or encouragement. My father is a high school art teacher in Morocco, and while all of his students are incredibly tech-savvy and spend more time while at home downloading content (music, movies, TV shows, etc.) and gaming and chatting than they probably do on their actual schoolwork, none of them were particularly excited with the idea of logging on to Moodle and beginning to be involved in the class outside of school. These kids are digital natives, remember, and have grown up with this technology, so their negligence was certainly not a matter of intimidation or discomfort with the medium.

My father was posting assignments on the class Moodle, and just getting the kids to log on to complete the initial set up took about two weeks. It wasn’t until he started threatening them with unsatisfactory grades and giving them deadlines that they actually logged on and started interacting with the site. Granted, most of these students signed up for this art class thinking it would be a breeze, and so the fact that he was assigning them readings and sites to view via an online portal was probably not what they expected when they got into the class.

I think that while Moodle’s interface is easily navigable and quite simplistic, certain students who have never worked with an LMS or a VLE will probably be hesitant and skeptical of the site, even if the environment is via a medium on which they spend an enormous chunk of their time. I think that younger students have a tendency to view computers and access to the Internet as a source of entertainment and not as a valuable learning tool. Early integration of VLEs and LMSs into curricula will allow ease and comfort for students in engaging and interacting completely in these types of environments. The failed attempts to make television into a space for education and learning seem to be in some ways carrying over into the medium of the Internet, thus making students skeptical of the benefits that surround sites such as Moodle or other VLEs.

I think that it is very important to see people begin to produce and collaborate in virtual environments because otherwise participants end up just using the options provided by the software or the network and they can not work productively and creatively because of the limitations of the virtual platform just like in Metaplace or SL. We have to create our own game that works with the notions of social constructivist education approach where the users of the virtual environment including the instructors and the students work collaboratively and creatively with each other and learn from each other by facilitating imaginative and creative art projects.
In many ways what we do in metaplace is very much like playing exquisite corps and the wiki and blogs are very much that way as well. We all contribute to the virtual space, network or platform and form a literal, visual and audio environment where participants learn by doing research and by working with each other. It is the same in equisite corps. People can share and learn more from this creative process than you might imagine. The concepts of our project assignment which are games, news and activism fit very well with the idea of exquisite corps and also the written version of the game as well where people write a  piece of literature like a poem, story or book collectively. That is why I thought that it would be good game structure for our project purposes.
We can also introduce another game where we would teach about what we as individuals in the virtual  platform know the most about or we can share our knowledge on a specific subject so the virtual environment we are participating in would become an educational environment where people can learn about different subjects and that is absolutely the basis of activism.
For example I would teach about art and film and each person would teach about whatever they are most knowledgeable about or what they are interested in.
One more idea for an educational game is presenting an image and the one who looks at it responds with a word or a sentence so by exchanging images and writing about the images we can create a virtual reflective learning environment or a blog.
As I was reading about teaching and learning, especially about distance learning it became clear to me that entertainment and fun are supposed to be a part of the learning process just like in the example of the Sesame Street series. By incorporating creativity and imagination into our virtual presence and virtual learning environment I think we can maximize the level of educational quality and keep the attention of the participants without making the experience boring which means that the interaction and the visual elements that are exchanged would contribute to the over all social, collective, collaborative and constructivist learning experience in our creative educational environment.

I spent a good deal of time on Moodle.org today and am quite impressed by its breadth of functionality and ease of use.  As Nag writes, the program is very simple and straight-forward, and suited for students and teachers who might not have extensive experience with technology or computer programming.  That being said, I am a bit perplexed as to why I haven’t heard of the site before, especially because it seems to have caught on with a huge number of teaching institutions. I even asked around to fellow students to see if they’ve had any experience with Moodle and didn’t find one person who even heard of it.  Additionally, I’m a bit surprised that The New School hasn’t experimented with the site considering Blackboard has a fairly limited and outdated virtual learning format.  In comparison, the open-source format of Moodle seems to point users in the direction of the future of Web 2.0 programming, and allows us, as students, to create and edit the program as we see fit.  I checked the list of registered Moodle sites, and the record of countries that participate is astonishingly long.  Even more impressive is the amount of sites located in the United States, with a list almost too long to scroll down.    

While Blackboard is certainly effective at hosting virtual classes, from what I saw of Moodle during the demo it seems like it’s an all-inclusive platform that keeps pace with the changing demands of educators and students.  The article by Nag was written about 4 years ago, and even then she cited many impressive features of the service that have only been improved upon since that time.  One specific feature that I loved (and was horrified of as a student) was the ability for Moodle to host online quizzes for students.  Can Blackboard do this?  I have taken two semesters of online classes and have yet to take a quiz on Blackboard.  It seems that this alone would be an attractive feature to push educators to adopt this program over alternatives, and especially since it’s free (which, these days, is a huge help for underfunded schools and teaching institutions).

It seems to me that applications like Moodle are a first step to a more comprehensive, interactive, and all-inclusive virtual learning format that will be the dominant model in the future.  That being said, I’d probably have to enroll in an actual Moodle-based class to see how effective it really is.  But from what I saw in the demo and in Nag’s article, I am fairly impressed with the application at first glance.