Yesterday Dean Groom gave an interesting lecture to Macquarie University’s EDUC261 – ICT and Education students. Apparently there are over 200 3D immersive virtual worlds with over 2 million people in each. This includes RPGs (Role Play Games) and MMOs (Massive Multiplayer Online). He presented an update of Bloom’s technology with the sorts of Web2.0 technologies that may be used at each level (page 62 of his presentation available at http://www.slideshare.net/pmhs/virtual-words-in-education ).
He provoked a great deal of thought on the use of technology in education, like what would be possible if every student had a Twitter account, ways in which cross-cultural or cross-gender empathy may be developed through the use of avatars in virtual worlds, and conducting webquests in 3D virtual environments. Most interesting!
Professor Matt Bower 