How to prepare your SL lessons: content and surrounding.

Problem

What does this pattern try to achieve? Why is it needed? What problem is this pattern solving.
Apart from delivering content in a lesson, a surrounding atmosphere needs to be created wich will enhance learning. Several tools in SL favor visualizing abstract concepts; we want to make use of these to suggest the whole structure / content of the lesson in its surrounding.

Forces

List the forces in tension.
encyclopedia like summing up of knowledge versus .bringing learning to students
declaim structure and content orally versus using different media to frame a lesson 

Context

Where is this pattern applicable? Where not?
This pattern is applicable for a lesson where a classroom / an auditorium is suggested for bringing knowledge orally. There is only knowledge transfer from teacher to student.

Solution

Provide a detailed and concrete description of the pa. Include structure/process diagrams as needed.

• Prepare the lesson.
  
  
  
  • Establish the knowledge gap so as to set the lesson objective.
  
  
  • Decide on (limit) the amount of content you want to cover.
  
  
  
  


• Prepare text for a speaking device you want to remind you of lesson structure and the turn of phrases you came up with.


• Try out the tools (their functioning, their permissions etc.) you plan to
  
  
  
  • use yourself, in the role of teacher.
  
  
  • distribute, in the role of teacher / student.
  
  
  
  


• Display
  
  
  
  • the structure of the lesson content,
  
  
  • where to get the class supplies,
  
  
  • where to get the evaluation form.
  
  
  
  You can use a note card reader signboard for that.


• Place a box for afterwards mailing / IM‘ing questions anonymously, at students disposal.


• Realize that distributing instruction papers
  
  
  
  • after the lesson, ties your students to the progress of the course.
  
  
  • before the lesson, leaves the pace for students to choose.
    Faster students can help out slower ones.
    The teacher can help out slower students while faster students move on.
    
  
  
  
  


• Keep a log of the chat during the lesson so students can work that over.

Support 

Cases-stories this pattern is drawn from.
stories 24, 31

Related Patterns

Link to related patterns (within the MUVEnation patterns or elsewhere i.e. other pattern languages). Or create a note for patterns that you have spotted that need to be developed
Read the pattern titeled Managing pre-prepared text with live interaction for advice on preparing text.

Pattern: Managing pre-prepared text with live interaction.

Problem

What does this pattern try to achieve? Why is it needed? What problem is this pattern solving.

Visual communication is not very subtle. Communicating experience needs plenty of time. Mend on that using text.

Text chat controls delay and course of a lesson in SL so that the lesson says what it needs to say. Preparing text is needed, as improvising explanations always leaves out some points on the subject. This pattern gives a remedy for the folowing problems:

• Text should not limit the promptnes of visual communication (diagrams, drawings, icons, built objects).


• Text should not hinder interaction by leaving too prominent the gap of expertise and extension of knowledge, between student and teacher.


• Text should not try to fully controll the course of the lesson, so as not to block creativity of both students and teacher.

Forces

List the forces in tension.
complete lesson versus an intuitive and pleasant lesson on the subject
dry knowledge transfer versus build-up of an expertise

Context

Where is this pattern applicable? Where not?

This pattern is applicable when knowledge transfered needs communication with a higher precision than visual communication or experience can offer. Both written and spoken text should be groomed though voice can do with less strict attention.

Solution

Provide a detailed and concrete description of the pa. Include structure/process diagrams as needed.

Make these considerations:

• Limit the amount of content you want to cover. Attention weakens for any public you want to reach.


• Prepare your lesson structure beforehand.
  Use a note card reader to post your lesson structure on a signboard for everyone to see. Refer to the lesson-structure during the lesson.
  
  


• Use a device for speaking prepared text in the chat channel if you want to keep to fixed expressions or fixed text structure. The speaking device helps to remind you of the structure you prepared, also of the turn of phrases you came up with..


• Prepare text for the speaking device,
  
  
  
  • that does not need clinging to too strictly. Keep an open eye or ear so you can insert appropriate details.
  
  
  • leaving space in the follow-up of arguments. You can then elaborate on a subject as need arises, without messing up completely your predefined structure.
  
  
  • that you will not want to contradict, personally (for wrong timing or inappropriate in this circumstance, ...).
  
  
  • with sentences short and easy to understand.
  
  
  • considering that only text color in the chat channels makes a difference between the device speaking and questions or answers showing.
  
  
  
  


• By distributing instructions after the lesson, you tie your students to follow with the progress of your course.
  Distributing instructions beforehand, you leave pace for them to choose.
  Faster students can help out slower ones.
  The teacher can help out slower students while faster students move on.
  
  

Support 

Cases-stories this pattern is drawn from.

stories 2, 23, 44

Related Patterns

Link to related patterns (within the MUVEnation patterns or elsewhere i.e. other pattern languages). Or create a note for patterns that you have spotted that need to be developed

Notes, Links and References

Liabilities, potential risks, extensions, expected side-effects. Observations.

VWPBE - workshop

Summary

Last section I missed the opportunity to prepare and teach a workshop. This year’s Virtual Worlds Best Practises on Education conference gave me a chance to mend that. As I had been commenting effusively on a few aspects in the workshops I did attend during the previous section, now was the time to put my theories into practice.

Situation

Working on an idea I had for knowledge transfer, I conferred with Peter Jacobs. He helped me out with scripting and creation of HUD’s. I also followed his workshop on HUD’s, last month.
Muvenation wanted to organise workshops for the conference on best practices in organizing education in virtual worlds, so Peter planned to prepare one. He suggested we do this together. As the WS was to run on (more or less) parallel lines with his workshop on Muvenation Island, I concentrated on bringing “the message”, to unknown people, with unknown expectancies, with unknown before-knowledge.

Task

I am a man of the written word. I can not pride myself on being the descendant of a people with such a tradition, but I feel rather more at ease with the subtleties of lingual expression than with the power of visual communication.
As we did not plan a big setting for the workshop, I had free play in preparing the text for my contribution in the workshop. The SpeakEasy HUD would be my tool. Improvising explanations could not cover all aspects of the subject and “writing lasts whereas spoken words are volatile”. I prepared meticulously the notecard the HUD would be playing. I kept in mind my own advice:

• The text was to be applicable in most situations, as I did no want to contradict too often on what the SpeakEasy HUD declared.


• The text lines needed to be short and easily chewable. No complicated sentences were to cloud quick understanding.


• Number of details on the subject had to fit the situation: a first impression of using (and developping) the HUD tool.

Actions

At the start of a lesson with unknown adults, unknown expectancies, unknown before-knowledge, there is always a certain unease. That was quickly helped out by everybody introducing himself. I fired away the first sentence of my notecard. It felt all right.
I did not have to interupt too often in my Speakeasy’s speech, though at times I did add a pertinent remark. I was happy to have left some open space in the (argument of the) text so I could almost seamlessly intervene. There were only a few things people wanted to know more about.

Results

I had the impression we both did all right. People where contented. We promised we’d answer later-on questions by IM. Nobody has complained yet.

Lessons learned

Weaving loosely your notecard text, is important. Walking the thin line between a rigidly prepared outset and an imperfect (not complete) argument is difficult. It’s most important to leave space to mend on that, in the course of your lesson.
The feedback you get from your class, is important. As we were teaching on HUD’s, we did not see any results. We did not leave evaluation forms. Therefore, I do miss the students’ confirmation that they did well. No (oral?) reactions is no guarantee for success, of course: adults do not often (bother to) give negative remarks. Positive remarks could have helped, though. You can learn from positive remarks as well.

Self paced learning and self study

(C.Demeyere & A.Barbitta)

What is it?

Self-paced learning implicates that a student has full control over the pace of the learning program. This would mean he decides when and where (RL !) he takes the lesson. Whether or not he takes the initiative for following the course, can differ Some lessons are part of a more extensive learning-program or social setting, while other lessons are purely optional (stand alone). The need to acquire the knowledge is for the student to be felt or not. Some lessons supply you with a prerequisite knowledge for following lessons, though.

Why it is used?

A key characteristic of this method of teaching is that no person needs to be present on the teacher-side of the course. No one being there to accompany him in his learning activity leaves the decision of pace and quantity to the student.
Organisation of self-paced learning is asynchronously. Follow-up of students by the organizer of lessons goes asynchronously as well.
Self-paced learning through stand alone courses also leaves more initiative to the student. Not imposed are when to learn and if to learn at all. Whether the course will help in acquiring the knowledge needed to solve the specific problem he experiences, is a question the student must answer.

What are its main characteristics?

The student finds at his disposal the course material. The course material holds both the message of the course and the means to deliver it in a convenient way.
A student can contact teachers and organisers of the course, trough devices left to him.
Course design should trigger motivation so students do not lose interest in the process. Challenging activities should be presented so the student gets involved in further exploration of the topic.
Self explanatory material and resources that guide participants to a well defined result.

What are the main challenges
to bring this practice to virtual worlds?

The scene set for self-paced learning must meet the challenge of bringing a lesson in a clear (comprehensible) way. All the while, it must bring a story entertaining enough to keep his interest motivating a student.
Put into a 3D world the correct resources to make a successful course.
To have the time and support to build it up
To find the correct tools for the specific practice

Case studies and examples of (good and bad) practices

Ohio Second Life Campus Learning Kiosks
(Ohio University 20,36,24 or 81,202,27 ?)
The kiosk Ohio State University (rather: tanbou ogg) developed, has a screen for video, three buttons and a banner to give a title to this part of the educational program. Kiosks are a tool to bring an assignment to students. The whole idea is to supply material so the student has a complete idea of what to do, how to do it, the means to do it. Outcome is a notecard. The student can drop his paper/notecard in a so-called drop-ball standing next to the kiosk.
One of the kiosks has a video the student can play: an introduction to the assignment. The first button gives a notecard stating textually the question for the assignment and explaining how to start to work on it. The second button calls a webpage with links to other web pages where information can be found. The third button calls a blog where the instructor has collected articles on the subject.

OSU Medicine 219,176,34 or 218,203,41
The building is made for students to rehearse patient interview techniques so as to make diagnosis afterwards. Footsteps on the floor show the way you need to go.
At the entrance to the interview room, a notecard giver presents a patient chart (medical history etc.): the starting point for the student doing the exercise.
Entering the room; the student/interviewer takes the interviewer seat. He asks questions to a “robot avatar”. The robot avatar gives answers programmed beforehand. He gives usefull information when triggered by key words.
After the interview, the student clicks the screen of the laptop on his desk. Different answers (diagnoses) are projected on the wall. He clicks the right answer, confirms.
The OSU Medicine building also has a chamber for viewing an operating theatre (at work?).
(administration of the assignments: Dr Doug Pennell?)

Jim Gustavson (Pinastri 118,176,21)
The screen Jim Gustavson has hanging on the wall in a shop, is for the user to click on. The user is given a copy. He can then click the next/back buttons to change the texture of the screen to following/previous foto’s in the lesson the maker designed. Changing the photograph sends a message by the chat channel to the owner of the tool (i.e. you). In this way, a combination of text and images builds up the lesson.
These lessons are not free; you can buy one of a series of lessons on building and – scripting skills in SL.

The Ivory Tower Library of Primitives (Natoma 204,70,25)
Entering the tower, a student is confronted with two storeys of stands or
settings. The settings each present an aspect of building in SL. Textual and
visual information on a board, also construction models, situate te subject. An
objectgiver gives a tutorial-like notecard. A sand-box next door to try out No
device to contact teachers and organisers of the course, is left to the student.
The ivory tower is set up as a library of knowledge (rather than books). It is not
an educational setup, aimed at guiding a student in his aquisition of knowledge on building. It does have the self-paced aspect in common with the self-paced
tutorials being studied on this page.
The place is called "Ivory Tower" because it's knowlegde-content is given no
relation at all with the practicalities of second life. The Ivory Tower is about
building as such.

Mi casa es tu casa

(search for Calisto Encinal's profile; you'll find the landmark there)
A house and furniture is built for vocabulary-learning. Knock on the door to enter the house. Answer the question asked to you in chat. In the patio, you'll find a poseball offering you the learning-possibilities available in the house. There are labels hovering over the objects, a test, a HUD triggering speech, a robot chairing a quiz etc. Information on all these possibilities can be found there also.
The learning environment is fully set up. It is ready for use by students, passers-by etc. A teacher in class though, would tell: "first do this, then do that, .., you'll end up with ...". To fully take advantage of the project, some introduction is always necesary. The introduction will also explain about the project aiming at a well defined result.

Inworld resources and tools

• Screen with textures, text in voice chat or IM


• Robot avatars


• Boards describing steps to follow


• Interactive tools

Ideas for a successful practice in virtual worlds

• Assignments for students so they can work on those assignments independently; inviting them to find information anywhere


• Exercises on ways of conduct (not knowledge) for as far as a proper environment can be programmed for that. The robot avatar is a very good tool for this.


• A HUD for mastering use of the SL counterpart of a RL tool
  Case studies where students should have to find out the best choice for a given case, investigating results from different places.


• Development of self guided places where participants should pass certain number of steps so as to continue with the next ones. This will enable them understand that they are advancing in the area that they are participating.

knowledge transfer ?

Summary
As I never got to actually organizing the workshop I had been pondering on, I’ll limit myself to writing down considerations on the workshops I attended. I was very keen on learning how my fellow MUVEnationers would solve the problem of transferring knowledge in SL, this being an unfamiliar (uncommon) environment.

Situation
I have not been too particular about the subject for workshops; anything would do to learn about teaching in SL. Prerequisite knowledge has been slightly above my level in several workshops, but I always managed to follow the story.

Task
Attending the workshops, I set myself the task of establishing to what degree SL skills influence the competence of bringing over a message and of inviting a student to learn things.
As I have not always been in a situation to meet with the prerequisite knowledge for the workshops, my findings also tell about my shortcomings in capturing the lesson. In a few situations I had to concentrate so much to be able to follow, that no time was left for looking at secondary issues in the setup of lesson and class. Extra SL skills would have helped here, I suppose.
In other workshops, I was over skilled. This made it easier for me to spend time on judging the coherence of the story brought by the instructor. Gaps in the story can make it difficult for a student to shape a line of thoughts that bring understanding. That would discourage him, I should imagine. No teacher wants discouragement to bring the students to shift their attention to the overly present (and lurking, as Anna Begonia put it) temptations of both SL and RL.

Actions
The main thread in the lesson often was a beforehand prepared notecard, read/spoken by a Speak Easy HUD in the openchat channel. This is very good for both instructor and student. The instructor can hold to the structure he prepared for this the lesson. De student can scroll back in his communication panel whenever he needs to have another look at what has been said before. On top, keeping a log of chat in SL, he does not have to think about taking notes. Working over the conversation text, later on, is enough.
Stressing some points, going deeper into some things (as need arises) can be easily done in the same chat channel. The colour difference in the text tells you the comments from the original explanation.
Preparing the notecard has proved important. First of all, the text needs to be applicable in most circumstances. If by chat, during the lesson, you need to disagree with too many text lines, no more structure is left in the lesson. Secondly, text lines need to be short and easily chewable. If deciphering the message takes too much trouble, a student has no more attention left for any other stimulus presenting itself.
Often used as well, was a screen for presenting textures/slides. This is, of course, a very welcome tool to visualise the message, brought only textually otherwise. A pity though that often, you need to be particularly handy with your camera tools to look up from your work piece (or anything else), to the screen, and back. In a bigger classroom or with two whiteboards being used, this is not easy. Needing their time to keep up with the pace imposed, some students may end up sticking to just the chat, the notes, whatever. On I-don’t-remember-what island I saw a tool with HUD for switching most easily from one defined view to another. It may be worth while to try this out with a view-on-the-whiteboard, a view-on-the-teacher, any other view.

Results
Giving class in SL, can turn from rigidly ordered intentions to a very unstructured, tea-party like chaos. A bunch of students not being well-groomed and/or not apt to learn from you, need no more to decide to (go and) do other things. As in RL, the teacher’s enthusiasm is a key factor in setting up a good lesson in SL. I have seen much of that quality too, in the workshops I attended.

Lessons learned
Student’s interest in the event and in the subject of the course is important for teaching, in SL as well as it is in RL. All this does not come by itself: SL does not help in this. Advantages of teaching in SL, must be sought elsewhere.
Also, teaching for an audience with a different level of skills, is no other in SL than in RL. As in RL, for solving that, you must allow one student to help an other. A quicker student has time to spare and can (pride himself in) helping out the slower student. Also, after class, students must be provided with enough material so as to be able to organise the knowledge in their own head, at their own pace.

Exploring hands-on workshops 2

The second workshop I attended, was a normal Hands-on workshop. The scene comprised a number of seats around a platform for the teacher and two whiteboards. Subject was NCI's Textures 3 - Water Effects.
In the first part of the class, the teacher gave an explanation on water textures, problems that arise when creating (more like suggesting, really) a body of water, a stream etc. In the second part students were guided through the creation of a basin-with-fountain.
Prerequisite textures, scripts, animations were given after clicking a cube announcing it's purpose.
Required knowledge was mentioned, leaving it up to you to decide whether it was worth staying or not. I did notice empty seats that had been occupied in the beginning of the class: building in SL is a complex matter, I suppose. Still, a word is enough, both to the wise and to the willing to achieve something, the teacher must have thought. He kept an attentive eye on workpieces, so as to notice who was still following and who was at blank. Not having too many students in class, certainly did prove to be an asset. I did feel supported in my attempts to create the basin-with-fountain.

Exploring hands-on workshops 1

The first workshop I attended, was somewhat different than the workshops commented on by my fellows in this program. I am not sure whether it qualifies as a hands-on workshop; it was interesting anyway.

The scripting class took place in a shop, selling all kinds of things. A panel on the wall invites you to take the class: you simply click on the panel, the device loads the chapters concerned, previous/next buttons appear on the side and on you go: the lesson on scripting for beginners. No classic setting of a class with teacher and students. Text and graphics on the screen accompany the teachings in form of a conversation sent to you. You can press the next-button alongside the screen, whenever you feel ready for new instructions and a new slide on the screen.

One fellow-student was standing next to me. Obviously (?), she saw something different than I on the screen: a few slides/chapters ahead, I suppose. Looking around a bit, afterwards, I noticed the ad’s on the wall: you can buy next and previous classes on the subject of scripting and building.

Starting the class, the tutor told about previous classes and what will come next. Then inviting you to rez your first prim, followed the explanations on scripting and building. I did not see any way to ask/send questions to the teacher (though the instructions mentioned “you can send questions to ..., after I did all the explanations”). The instruction-text did not contain an explanation on how to navigate through pages or on further considerations you might have, following a web course.
Motivation to learn is something you bring along with you in the course: no difference with RL web courses. The course is built “result oriented” so you can judge easily if your result is the result you should have. Also, focus is on rules and procedures: no place for an argument on procedural matters. Yours is the decision on how fast you learn. You can go back a few lines; no worries about missing something because the class goes on. Revision of key concepts and procedures is as easy as reading the (log of the) conversation again.

This class seems to me a more or less gallant way to organise asynchronous learning.