2021 #VWEDU: Myth: "Online learning lacks social experience." Here are a few mythbusters. Fact: some widely-used platforms lack social experience.

Myth: "Online learning lacks social experience."  

Here are a few reports that serve as mythbusters. 

With videos showing social activities.

Virtual worlds as platforms for social interaction.

• Watch on YouTube
• CVL shares a podcast to introduce the Nonprofit Commons Board in Second Life- a collaborative network of virtual world communities

• It is entirely a matter of the platform.  
• Traditional, flat page platforms are not designed to social interaction.
• Educators knowing only these old platforms may think that is all of online learning
• But another population of educators lives in virtual worlds.  
• Virtual worlds are made of social interaction. 
• Mostly we go there for social interaction.  
• Actually, we use avatars as digital representations.
• But we talk, present displays, exchange documents--
• we do all of the mentionable things that educators do in a PLC.
• Virtual worlds are about people. Communities, communication, shared goals.

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Social experience online

• Immersive learning: Social, experiential, and practical online.
• Charles Dickens and his Victorian times. The Dickens Project in 3DWebWorldz. English literature and history on the web.
• Using Browser Based Virtual Environments As a gateway to get people familiar with virtual worlds. Virtual worlds as social experiences.
• OpenSim Community Conference: a real conference in a virtual world. No COVID worries, no cost, no travel time, no hanky-panky. Just people getting together to learn about OpenSimulator and its uses.
• Social 3D and all that other stuff (VR, Virtual Worlds, etc)
• Virtual Worlds: A practice field for social media and public relations people.
• Use social 3D on the web: what you need to know.
• Social VR: The Next Big Thing that virtual worlders have enjoyed for years

Professional learning community

• Social for professionals
• More professional benefits from our online PLC. That's a professional learning community. It has knowledge and resources. It needs organization
• An expertise database for an online PLC (Professional Learning Community) . Online makes a big community. Big needs a database
• Online PLC: Professional Learning Community. Online is closer than next door. And don't underestimate the flat web.
• Do we have a professional learning community (PLC) in the virtual worlds (MUVEs)?
• Organizing our online PLC. Virtual Worlds Education Consortium (VWEC). Affiliated groups, wider networking and knowledge sharing
• Era of the entrepreneurial educator. The unbundling of education opens the gate for entrepreneurs.

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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.  
• Due to medical issues, I cannot promise to be there.  But I will try.

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• Selby Evans in Kitely and Hypergrid, Thinkerer Melville in Second Life.