Second Life and Social Learning

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Social Network Definition

In general, a social network is comprised of interconnected relationships among individuals or groups with common interests who communicate or jointly participate in activities.

The Impact Of 3D Worlds (TDW) On Social Learning

Like many two-dimensional platforms, such as wikis and blogs, TDW present opportunities for social learning where educators and students can communicate, cooperate, and collaborate. However, because TDW seem to generate a greater sense of social presence, TDW interactions may have a more significant impact on social learning. Social presence is considered to be a “significant factor in improving instructional effectiveness … [especially] in distance education” (Chih-Hsiung, 2002).

Assuming that learning improves when the user is an integral part of the stimulus flow, and that meaningfulness and active control over a user’s experiences aids learning, then immersive environments likely are better training tools than standard computer-based training environments. (Witmer & Singer, nd).

Therefore, the combination of TDW and social networking promotes learning by creating an immersive environment that “promotes the formation of viable communities within virtual spaces” (Stevens, 2006).

social learning (SL) benefits in a corporate or academic setting

In corporate and academic environments, SL activities, which are based on effective learning techniques, benefit learning. As Moreno and Mayer (2004) suggest, appropriate application of effective learning theory, not technology, promotes deeper levels of learning. For instance, social learning activities may include constructive learning environments that provide students with collaborative tools for exploration. Rather than reciting facts, students can work together to “construct their own learning and experiences” (Reiber, 1994, P. 249). Collaborative activities “can facilitate motivation, social learning, metacognition, equity, and achievement” (Alessi & Trollip, 2001, p.381). Clearly, SL may have a profound impact on learning as educational paradigms shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered systems that include social networking opportunities.

For sometime, education theorists, such as Vygotsky, have recognized the benefits of social learning. Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of learning posits that social interaction promotes cognition (Mayer, 2005, p.248). For example, when educators and learners utilize social networking they embrace the quantum effect of the “wisdom of crowds.” As a result, educators benefit from the discoveries of their students, and their students benefit from the discoveries of their teachers. In other words, when many people, such as teachers and learners, contribute to a project, the resulting product is potentially more profound than the product of any individual endeavor (Bryan, 2006).

Example of social networking in a 3D world

The Second Life Roma site is an ideal venue for social networking. In addition to discussing history and culture, students can participate in immersive language experiences by using VoIP to speak Latin while they interact in the virtual world. For example, students may collaboratively write a Latin-language, historically-based, vignette about an event from the era of the Roman Empire. Subsequently, students can use their toga-attired avatars to act out the script in the virtual Roman setting.

References:

Alessi, S. M., & Trollip, S. R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3^rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Bryan, A. (2006). A new wave of innovation for teach and learning. Educause Review. Retrieved October 5, 2006 from: http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0621.pdf

Chih-Hsiung, T. (2002). The measurement of social presence in an online learning environment. International Journal on E-Learning. April-June.

Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2005). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2004). Personalized messages that promote science learning in virtual environments. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(1), 165-173.

Reiber, L. (1994). Computers, Graphics, & Learning. Braun & Benchmark: Madison, WI.

Stevens, V. (2006). Second Life in education and language learning. TESL-EJ. 10(3).

Witmer, B. G., & Singer, M. J. (n.d.). U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences - Measuring Presence in Virtual Environments: A Presence Questionnaire. Presence, 7(3).