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Preview: Angel Learning Island on Second Life
4/17/2007
Today Angel Learning, in conjunction with the Second Life Educators community (SLED), will unveil a brand new island in Second Life dedicated toward educational experimentation. Campus Technology had a chance to teleport to the new island ahead of its May 15 public debut to bring you this exclusive preview.The idea behind Angel Learning Island is to provide a space for educators to experiment with learning scenarios, meetings, and other kinds of interaction with students (and each other) in a virtual world. The island is free for all (not just Angel LMS customers), so educators can learn about Second Life--the basics, as well as advanced techniques--before investing any campus resources and before committing to any one particular approach to learning in a virtual environment.
Ray Henderson, chief products officer at Angel Learning, told us he thought that educators did not need "experimentation in isolation, but more open places where there's a ladder up, so to speak, a way to [educate instructors in the ways of Second Life] so they can do experimentation on their own."
Second Life, of course, is a virtual world that's becoming increasingly popular in education circles, with universities (such as Ohio University, Harvard, and Princeton) creating virtual campuses in which students can do everything from interacting with professors to joining student organizations to taking courses. (You can find a list of other institutions using Second Life by clicking here.)
Angel Learning Island is a cooperative effort with SLED. ""Second Life is great for education because it's a learner-centered environment," said Sarah "Intelligirl" Robbins, SLED project manager. "Learning in a Second Life environment removes the barriers between instructor and student and allows teachers to put their students in the driver's seat. Imagine being able to tear down every building on campus and then allowing students to redesign the space for their needs. Imagine students who stay long after class time is over so that they can collaborate with their classmates, students from other universities and faculty members in other fields. This is the kind of highly engaged learning that is possible in an immersive environment such as Second Life."
Teaching the Basics ... and Not So Basics
Educators visiting Angel Learning Island arrive at SLED Orientation Garden, which provides a sequence of 10 "essential skills" for getting around and otherwise making oneself a functioning member of the Second Life human race.
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