The learning economy.
Where you practice life skills:
earning, buying, budgeting.
How is that taught in school?
A plan for letting students learn economic skills in schools in virtual (simulated) worlds. A simulated environment can offer a safe environment designed to simulate the consumer side of economic life. This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).
Consumer economic skills
- How could you practice economic skills in school?
- You create a play world with the things you want to teach built in.
- That would have taken a lot of work in the old days.
- But now we have ready-made simulated worlds already available.
- Yes--simulated and virtual are just big names for play worlds.
- Many virtual worlds have simulated economic activities.
- And the cost per user is so small that they often let people in for free.
- These worlds are not suited for students as the normally operate.
- But they can be duplicated to give a school complete access control.
- And a school can design a life simulation to suit its educational goals.
- This article presents preliminary ideas about using that as a serious game.
- Use-targeted learning plan for schools in digital worlds. Learners can pick the skills they need for the uses they intend. Gamified as a model
The simulated consumer economy
Virtual money
- The virtual money system works like the "real" one.
- It exists in units analogous to dollars, so here called vollars
- This money is held in an account much like a bank account.
- Vollars can also be represented as tokens (objects).
- In that form, money from the account could be used to buy tokens.
- And tokens could be deposited into the account as with a bank
Virtual income
- Beginning students will need an initial allowance to start playing the game.
- The main purpose is to show students that vollars get them things they want.
- Another purpose is to give experience in pricing, saving, and managing a budget.
- The experience would be induced by the pricing of what is on offer.
- Students could earn additional income by virtual work.
Virtual work
- Virtual work opportunities could simulate real work and could support learning goals.
- Students might earn vollars by executing projects in project-based learning.
- Students might be able to apply for jobs if they earned badges for needed skill-sets.
- If the vollars can buy things the students want strongly, they could motivate.
- Advanced students might earn vollars and real dollars by mentoring others.
Virtual goods and services
- A wide range of digital products is available.
- Alternative avatars are likely to be desired by many students.
- Cars, planes, and puppies could sell well.
- Digital services are consumed and so represent recurring costs.
- A rental house is the most needed service.
- Perhaps a basic house would be provided at no cost.
- Then house upgrades would be available for a price.
- Other services might be videos and games.
- And the ability to share these with friends.
- Access to coveted electives might also be on offer.
- And consideration for online jobs for advanced students.
Related
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