1. Challenger Learning Center South Jersey Technology Park at Rowan University Virtual Learning Communities 21 st Century Learning

2. Virtual Learning Communities (VLC) is based on a professional learning community model that uses a blend of face-to-face and online curriculum to connect teams of educators on a local, state, and global level 2

3. Through immersion in multimedia, and social networking sites such as Ning, Diigo, Blogs and Wikis, participants learn how to interact online with other members, and with experts from around the globe that are part of the collaborative network. 3

4. They can share discussions, photos, audio, video, and hypertext links to connect to relevant resources and to solve real world problems. 4

5. 5 E-Learning Online Learning Virtual Education Community Engagement Creativity and Imagination Real World Collaborative Problem Solving

7. History

8. MOO MUD A MOO (MUD, object oriented Multi-User Dungeon) is a text-based online virtual reality system to which multiple users (players) are connected at the same time

9. Sample of a typical MUD interaction. http://role-playing-video-games.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_a_mud_or_multiuser_dungeon

11. http://www.kzero.co.uk/industry-forecasts.php

12. 12

13. Generation Y Perspectives

14. Because we work here

15. But truthfully, we tend to work just as much here.

16. Roughly speaking, Generation Y is defined as - 2000 1977 8 31

17. There are over 70 million people in the U.S. belonging to Gen Y

18. And just like the Baby Boomers, that is aa large group of people that is IMPACTING society

19. 47% and is projected to be 47% of the workforce by 2014. 25% Generation Y is currently 25% of the workforce

21. But what defines Generation Y?

22. The Young and The Digital What the Migration to Social-Networked Sites, Games, and Anytime, Anywhere Media Means for Our Future.

23. Demands instant gratification Impatient if delayed… but highly adaptable. Instant information Attracted to Large Social Movements Wired Expecting (NOW! Not 5 minutes from now) Global Interdependent Quickly bored Mobile Likes mentors multi-tasking empowered

24. Laptop Clicker Notes Web IM Cell Phone iPod This is what many of us are dealing with

25. 21 st Century Learning What makes learning different now than 10 years ago?

26. Is the traditional concept of top-down, one-way communications strategy dead ?

27. 27 A Vision of Students Today

28. CCCCCC limate lient lassroom

29. Engaged

30. Actively Constructing Knowledge

31. Pedagogy Tools Constructionism; think of it as 'learning-by-making‘ Tied to online learning Constructivism; building on prior knowledge

32. Entertaining Informative Interesting

33. 33 Know What’s Out There

34. Emmersive Education

35. The CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment at Rowan University 21 st Century Virtual Reality Learning 35

36. 36 CAVE –Automatic Virtual Environment http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=t-BRWQL8BM0 Lightsaber demo http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=BNOewTOGeok&feature=related

37. What does all this have to do with virtual worlds and real learning?

38. The world is connected today in ways that are shattering traditional communications concepts.

39. The Google Model 39

40. 40

41. 41 Google Sky

42. 42 http://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice

43. Learning has to be about more than test scores

55. Is Real learning taking place in virtual and digital environments? digital world you can record everything that happens and this trace becomes your digital footprintdigital footprint

56. How does this improve LEARNING?

58. 58 http://todaysmeet.com/

59. 59 http://www.slideshare.net/

60. 60 How Does Technology Save Money?

62. 62 http://virtual-lc.wikispaces.com/

63. 63 http://www.teacherleaders.org/about/who School Bloggers http://supportblogging.com/Links+to+School+Bloggers 21 st Century Blogging http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/

64. EIRC Online Technology Web 2.0 http://www.eirc.org/courses/course/view.php?id=38 Moodle Wiki’s http://greenschoolsforteachers.wikispaces.com/ H:\Telent21\VLC\web 2.0 links.htm 64

65. Think of this as a movement, not a specific tool

66. Be prepared for change

67. Be prepared for resistance

68. Fear Misinformation

69. Learning to Change, Changing to Learn 69

70. 70 http://www.joe.org/joe/2008august/a1.php

71. The Shift/ /ing Landscape

72. 72 John Henry EIRC jhenry@eirc.org