Second Life,TM Immersion, and Learning

Immersion in Virtual Worlds - But not Second Life!

“…According to [25] the number of concurrently logged in users in Second Life is around 62500 per day (April 2012) and ReactionGrid"s number of active users is not getting higher than 387 (March 2012) [26]. We could not find any statistics of concurrently logged in users in ReactionGrid for direct comparison however this number of "active users" is sufficiently indicative for our purpose.…”

“…"I could feel the "real class" when I saw bunch of you gathering at the outside of the ground floor. I felt that finally I would meet all my classmates (even though it was not real)" -this is how one of participants commented his feelings after an experiment described by Carr et al [25] Another important aspect which might affect immersion is the presence of correlation between user"s activity and feedback from other users. For instance, when somebody gives a talk, the visible reaction of the audience e.g.…”

Spatial Mapping in virtuellen Umgebungen

“…Engagement tritt dann auf, wenn Rezipienten eine Aufgabe oder Information präsentiert wird, die komplex genug ist, um kritisches Denken auszulösen. Eine typische Mediennutzung beinhaltet den Wechsel zwischen beiden Modi während des Rezeptionsverlaufs (Carr & Oliver, 2010).…”

Changelings and shape shifters? Identity play and pedagogical positioning of staff in immersive virtual worlds

“…Thus the opportunity to 'play away' results in a kind of disturbed belonging and yet this is juxtaposed with the sense as an academic of the need for 'responsible knowledge' (Haraway 1991). Yet the difficulties of understanding the shifts and changes of identity in the context of teaching in IVWs and their impact that these are having on staff roles has not, as yet been explored in-depth -although studies by authors such as Warburton (2008), and Carr and Oliver (2009) would seem to be moving in that direction. This study began with a focus on exploring staff experiences of teaching and sought to uncover shifts in role perception and change as a result of working in new digital spaces.…”