Edutopia 1 and Edutopia 2 on the Kitely grid Evaluation of the learning environment as well as the support website SLESL.net
By Salie Davis
The support website is www.SLESL.net. This site has surveys and pre-tests to help place the student.
The landing Zone and boot camp area is designed to help the student become comfortable with the learning environment.
It has been proven that the way in which learning material is presented, what technology is used, can increase or decrease testing outcomes based on the comfort level of the student in using the technology.
The navigation area for Edutopia 2 is more developed than Edutopia 1. Edutopia 1 relies on important links communicated to the student for meet up areas. The design for Edutopia 1 is compact lessons and small projects. Edutopia 2 is for deep immersion, mysteries and role play stories.
Edutopia 1 has more educational props, slide shows, presentations, materials and supplies, and small project instructions.
Outside of the virtual world is website supports and additional options such as Skype meetings. Gamification in learning environments has become more popular in the last decade. Playing games is fun. The enjoyment of the learning process motivates students to learn. Increased engagement is essential when developing curriculum plans. Edutopia uses games, socialization, open explorations, and the opportunity to create to increase engagement.
The lessons are set up so that they can be done independently, one on one, or in small and/or large groups. The individual circumstances vary. The student body for Edutopia may involve individuals from across the globe, speaking different languages and different cultures. Having flexible paths for learning ensures that the widest audience is served. An important note acknowledged on the web site is that due to the limitations of the environment, class sizes larger than 10 students is not recommended. For language immersion you want the students to do more talking than the instructor. The virtual environment has been used for education of large numbers however the success of this has been when audio communications were turned off, allowing for text only and the teacher or panel presented in a lecture format. This type of format though able to support large numbers of students is not conducive to language learning.
Non-player characters (NPC’s) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used to increase the immersion and engagement of learners. As technology continues to advance new ways to increase the impact and effectiveness of immersive learning evolve. Currently to participate in this virtual world environment requires a virtual world viewer. Currently in development are walk in 3D web pages. In addition, technology is being improved to increase the quality of using 3d glasses when entering these environments. At this time it is not a feasible format for 3D glasses due to lag which increases motion sickness.
Smaller examples of simulations, role play, and immersion exist on Edutopia 1. These two worlds allow for learners at different language levels, comfort levels and learning styles. Especially with peer evaluation it can be useful to group like peers together when they are complimented by similar learning styles and levels of learning. In the same factor, pairing students at different levels can also increase the opportunity to improve peer tutoring skills.
Gamification and making learning fun and engaging is a primary motivator for learning. Distance courses are enhanced using virtual reality, adding layers beneficial to different learning styles. According to SLESL.net there are eight types of intelligence identified by Howard Gardner. These include: Verbal linguistic, Logical mathematical, Visual spatial, Musical rhythmic, Bodily kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Interpersonal and Naturalistic learners.
Creative hands on activities increase engagement. With a wide variety of options available the lesson plans also allow for autonomy by allowing the student flexibility in the assignments and areas they visit and the tasks they complete. This increases the motivation of the student, making them more vested in the direction their learning takes.
Tests are included and are designed so that they can be evaluated by peers or by the individual themselves.
Assessment is based on participation and the successful completion of tasks.
For individual interactions, note cards, screen shots, and other assignments are used for assessment of participation.
Edutopia 1 also includes guides for peer assessments. Except for badge awards, this is the extent of assessments that are built into this environment located at Kitely.com from an observational overview. For more formalized assessment it appears that the student must seek out third party testing for language proficiency. The only concern noted in analyzing this learning environment is the fact that it is a paid service with no outcome in assessment or grading. The website does offer suggested third-party tests and is working towards partnerships with colleges, however as of this assessment the outcome appears to be measured by participant satisfaction. The website does offer individualized course design to fulfill any standardized requirements with additional fees applied for the development of said courses. *Update from the creator, "
My latest work includes more than 400 items on the Kitely Marketplace and that many more items still to add. On Edutopia 2, I also finished building out all the Harry Potter Lane stores.
With regards to testing and grades, if I work with a university, there are course assignments, tests, and grades. I put my tests on Quia.com to make them accessible around the world."
The most exciting thing about these environments are that they are always improving. It is worth checking out online and in-world.
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