November 28th, 2008 by Learning Systems
The idea of using of virtual worlds in a school learning system may at first be dismissed along with the virtual world terminology of guilds, trolls and orcs.
Additionally, many parents whose children’s teachers are adding virtual worlds to the classroom learning system may not like the idea, for a variety of reasons. One is the highly addictive quality of the games, especially World of Warcraft. The possibility of getting kids addicted to virtual worlds in a school learning system setting may not set well with many people.
Another complaint is the advertising industry’s role in virtual worlds. While World of Warcraft doesn’t allow selling in-world items to be sold for real cash, some worlds like Entropia and Second Life employ players–often teenagers–whose avatars go about their virtual lives trying to sell products.
November 28th, 2008 by Learning Systems
Virtual “worlds,” for better or worse, are an ever-increasingly popular online learning system worldwide. Although media coverage of virtual worlds like Second Life has been on the decline, a throng of virtual worlds for kids has grown even more popular than their adult counterparts. For example, according to the New York Times, tween world Club Penguin has more than 4 million visitors per month. And if kids can learn professions like blacksmithing, mining, first aid and tailoring in virtual worlds like World of Warcraft, why not biology or American history?
BBC contributor Bill Thompson writes, “Second Life and World of Warcraft are not really ‘worlds,’ whatever their proponents might claim. They are sophisticated 3-d environments that allow for a much greater degree of engagement than other tools, and they offer tools for interaction and creative expression that browsers, chatrooms and email do not.” Despite the challenges, teachers are beginning to find a place for virtual worlds and their potential for team learning in real world learning systems.
November 28th, 2008 by Learning Systems
I’ve said that adults and young people alike may be engaged by courseware systems that apply gaming concepts in their interactive and narrative designs. But what about teachers who want to go beyond websites, courseware systems, whiteboards and discussion forums in their classroom blended learning environments?
BBC contributor Bill Thompson recently attended ReLIVE08, a conference on the education and research uses of virtual “worlds”. At the conference, he learned about the creative ways in which virtual environments are being used in areas as diverse as language teaching and urban planning.
Sarah Robins-Bell, co-author of Second Life for Dummies, gave a paper in which she looked at 75 different virtual worlds and created a classification scheme that may helps courseware system teachers understand similarities and differences between diverse worlds like Everquest, Club Penguin, Second Life and World of Warcraft.
November 24th, 2008 by Learning Systems
In designing your online courseware, the devil is often in the details. An Eyetrack III study also showed how people tend to read actual online courseware headlines and blurbs. Partial viewing of headlines and blurbs was found to be a common occurrence.
Many people skip the blurb altogether if it’s displayed in smaller font under a headline. And when viewers do read it, they often only view the left one-third of the blurb. They scan the words in that left portion, and if their interest is piqued, they’ll read the whole blurb. For online courseware developers using headlines and blurbs in their course design, some basic information on how readers view web pages is extremely helpful.
November 24th, 2008 by Learning Systems
When designing your online courseware, consider your learners’ reading habits. Managing font based on how people read is important in web page and online courseware layout. Eyetrack III’s studies showed that larger font promotes lighter scanning of learning content. Therefore, keep your font on the smaller side (but not too small). This includes your online courseware headlines–larger headlines encourage scanning more than small ones.
Another interesting finding is how people tend to read headlines in relation to blurbs. The study showed that when headlines and blurbs were in similar size fonts and the headline preceded the blurb, participants viewed both. But when the headline was in a larger font than the blurb it preceded, they tended to view the headline and skip the blurb. Why? Viewers reason that since the headline is bigger, the information it contains must be sufficient.
November 24th, 2008 by Learning Systems
If you’ve ever designed a website, you’ve probably done some research about how people read web content. Whether you’re designing your own web page or online courseware, it’s important to keep in mind that eyetracking studies have found most people read in an F-shaped pattern: two horizontal stripes followed by a vertical stripe.
Studies show that website and online courseware readers’ eyes most often fixate at the upper left of a page, then hover in that area before going left to right. Only after skimming through the top portion of the page do their eyes typically float further down.
People also tend to read quickly, so keep your sentences short. Online courseware content that corresponds to the movement of the average eye will prove more effective than a design that doesn’t.
November 24th, 2008 by Learning Systems
Whether you’re an online courseware student or a company trainee, your social and professional life is largely dependent on your cell phone. Living without a cell phone has become anomalous in the western world. If you’ve simply chosen not to own one, the people around you are probably baffled or think you’re strange. They assume that you have no social life to speak of.
Some day very soon, I suspect, it will seem bafflingly odd to be without mobile internet access. The inability to read online courseware or check your email while sitting on the subway will be the new technological faux pas. But the lack of web access will probably hold bigger consequences. Our heavy dependence on the internet for everything from online courseware to VoIP communication to world news, will generate new needs when that dependence becomes a mobile one. Of course, conveniences quickly become necessities in a hi-tech world.
November 20th, 2008 by Learning Systems
Teaming Web 2.0 technologies with online courseware is providing many students with a more interactive learning experience. And more online courseware teachers are beginning to choose which technologies they’d like to try out. Advertising styles becomes one factor worth considering for many online courseware teachers, and fortunately an increasing number of Web 2.0 companies are choosing less glaring and unobtrusive approaches.
But how do successful Web 2.0 companies like Facebook get away with running such miniscule ads? The key is thinking more creatively. Facebook uses what it calls “engagement ads” to invite users to comment on videos, attend an event, or send a virtual gift. For example, this year on election day, Ben & Jerry’s bought an ad that let users send a virtual ice cream cone to their friends (to advertise its offer of a real cone to anyone who votes). The beauty of social software is its voluntary interactivity, and advertising shouldn’t be an exception.
