Big Bang! In Education

Most public school educators I work with are completely unaware of the movement to provide visual supports to distance learning in the form of virtual classroom environments.

Of those who are familiar with popular 3D virtual worlds such as Second Life or Active Worlds, reactions range from "It's a complete waste of time and resources" to "Virtual learning will revolutionize education".

Below I've posted a video shot in 2nd Life of a particle detector. This mind boggling device has wide ranging applications in cutting edge research but unless you teach physics you've probably never heard of it let alone had the chance to explore one up close.

I believe virtual worlds have been over-hyped. BUT...the time is fast approaching when the building blocks of virtual education catch up to the buzz and when it happens...BANG! A whole new universe of education will be created.

Virtual Learning

The Forbidden City

From the comfort of my home, I've just returned from an educational tour of China's fabled Forbidden City.

IBM has painstakingly created a virtual environment allowing visitors to explore a world once hidden from Western eyes.

The download was fast, the navigation intuitive, and the cost ~ FREE.

To visit the Forbidden City, click here.

PowerUp