2019 #VWEDU: #DTA: A virtual world is not just 3D. It can have people to talk with and things to interact with

A virtual world is not just 3D. 
It can have people to talk with 
and things to interact with

Providing a 3D environment is just one of the things virtual worlds (MUVEs) do.  By itself a 3D environment provides no more education than does an empty school building.  The MUVE can be equipped with scripted objects that do instructional things. And it can bring together groups of students to learn collaboration.  This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).

Discovery learning is a game

The signs tell you

The objects teach you

• Beginner's building on the Hypergrid. Primland, the building tutorial game
• Beginer's building on the Hypergrid. Primland, the building tutorial game, Part 2

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• Of course it is 3D, three dimensional.  You don't need virtual binoculars to see that.
• You just press the up arrow key and your avatar moves forward.  
• You can't do that in a flat picture.
• And you have your avatar represent you in the 3D world. 
• We rarely learn a lot from just looking, not even in 3D
• You can marvel at that 3D world for, maybe, 10 minutes.
• Or maybe less if you don't have good stereopsis.
• Then you wonder what do you do here?
• Or, if you are in education, you wonder how you can use it to teach.
• Scripted things can give instructions, open websites, ask questions, evaluate answers, offer suggestions. 
• People can do most of the same things people usually do.
• You need them if the learning involves interacting with other people.
• The Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) for MUVES (virtual worlds): Summary

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What can we teach with scripted objects?

• If the goals include learning about objects, the objects can tell about themselves.
• The objects can ask questions and evaluate responses. 
• The objects can adjust their actions to the level of experience of the learner.
• Thus, they can give instruction to the beginner.
• And they can give practice in answering to the advanced learners.
• They can record answers for formative assessment.
• They can present the practice in game form.
• They can manage levels of advancement for each student as motivation.
• And keep score if achievement is treated as currency.
• An object could manage inworld transactions in the virtual currency. 
• The currency might be earned by successful practice.  
• It might be spent to buy virtual products.  
• This arrangement might teach students a little about how to handle money.

Games in virtual worlds

• Games in virtual worlds. Summary
• Teach a concept with a game. A use case for web-worlds.
• Konk Combat Game Builder, with NPC interactions. The Metaverse Tour investigates
• VWBPE immersive events, The Queen’s Heroes in the Five Kingdoms #vwbpe19chat
• The power of the quest for learning. Turn learning into a quest.

What can we teach with people?

• To  learn to work together, learners must practice working together.
• With project-based instruction, learners can work together on a project.
• The DTA can teach through the reports it requests and suggestions it makes.
• If learners want group study, the DTA can collect times and work out schedules.
• If the learners want social games as part of group study, the DTA can be quiz-master. 

DTA articles

General

• A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) in MUVE (virtual world): What would it do?
• A digital teaching assistant (DTA) in a virtual world. Can it be done?
• Digital coaching is needed for the DTA: Do we have the technology for that?
• Online education, sure. But why a virtual campus? Why in a virtual world (MUVE)?

Development considerations

• The digital teacher assistant and FERPA: there are security issues
• Will the Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) need artificial intelligence?

Possible services, education

• Digicoach can support collaborative homework and study sessions
• Digicoach can support homework in virtual worlds with JIT learning, immediate feedback
• Digicoach for project-management in self-managed teams: (Note: skills to be learned in doing these tasks)

Possible services, virtual worlds

• Newcomer welcome coach (1): Basic skills needed promptly
• DTA content pages: The plan: Initial DTA content on the web here. Can be used from here or copied for use elsewhere.
• Firestorm settings for beginners. A DTA content page

New century education

• Just-In-Time (JIT) learning in virtual schools, maybe with DTA coaching. Language as an example
• Why a reading assignment is like a treasure hunt. And why it is not
• Suppose the real objective in school is to pass multiple-choice tests. Can a digital TA handle test-based learning?

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Visit me on the web

• Drop by my web offices Weekdays: 12:-12:30 pm Central time (US)
• I am available for free consulting on any topic in this blog.
• Cybalounge and 3DWebWorldz (Orientation room)
• I will be in both places, so you may need to speak to get my attention.
• Web-worlds, 3D virtual worlds running in a browser. Summary
• And we can visit the Writer's Workshop on the Web
• Don't register -- enter as guest.  

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License

• Original text in this blog is CC By: unless specified public domain.
• Use as you please with attribution: link to the original.
• All images without attribution in this blog are CC0: public domain.
• Second Life, Linden, SLurl, and SL are trademarks of Linden Research Inc.
• Annotated screenshots made with Jing
• This blog is not affiliated with anything.   Ads are from Google.
• Selby Evans in Kitely and hypergrid, Thinkerer Melville in Second Life.