http://docrea.org/jise/
Whether it's a social networking site like Facebook, a video stream delivered via YouTube, or collaborative discussion and document sharing via Google Apps, more people are using Web 2.0 technologies to communicate, express ideas, and form relationships centered around topical interests.
Virtual Worlds immerse participants even deeper in technological realms rife with interaction. Instead of simply building information, people create entire communities comprised of self-built worlds and avatars centered around common interests, learning, or socialization in order to promote information exchange.
Holding business meetings in Second Life is becoming commonplace, MMORPGs are becoming the entertainment venue of choice, and upcoming generations of students may find the traditional academic means of information exchange--lectures and discussions--less appealing than most, instead opting for a rich multimedia experience infused with information.
With classrooms quickly filling with the Google generation accustomed to being connected to information and social networks all the time in many forms, how can we best use these technologies to transform, supplement, or even supplant current pedagogical practices? Will holding office hours in chat rooms make a difference? What about streaming classroom discussions via iTunes? How about demonstrations of complex concepts in a Virtual World so students can experiment endlessly?
In this JISE special issue, we will explore these questions and more. We are looking for research studies, instructional cases, teaching tips, and other discussions that examine the role Web 2.0 and Virtual Worlds should--or perhaps should not--play within our physical, virtual, or mixed classroom environment. How can these technological tools be best used in our pedagogical toolbox? Are there instances where they are a good fit or perhaps merely an instructional band-aid?
Please consider sharing your insights, research, or teaching tips as we examine the promises presented, and the perils posed, by these ever-growing innovative, immersive (perhaps invasive), and pervasive technologies.
http://docrea.org/jise/
