Edusim Virtual Worlds

I've never been into 3D virtual worlds; my initial fumblings with Second Life were rather underwhelming (no doubt due to my own impatience in mastering the tools), so when I came across Edusim I didn't have high expectations. However, after watching a couple of the videos on their site and then finding a couple more on Youtube, I began to get excited. Why? Well, the videos show primary kids using the interface with ease and the examples given immediately sparked off ideas of how I'd use this in my own classroom. At the moment, I think primary teachers have the advantage in being able to launch the use of Edusim through a concentrated block of time, but secondary teachers could create cross-curricular collaborative projects to really take this to a whole other level.

Integration:

Colonise an imaginary world and then fill it with everything from:

• Libraries holding histories, myths, legends and other texts related to the world (English/Language Arts)
• Fill the terrain with interesting geological features (Geography)
• Environmental management systems (Geography, Economics, Maths)
• Creatures based on life forms studied (Sciences)
• Galleries showcasing works (paintings, illustrations, film, song) from this other world (Art, Music, Media)
• Buildings created from Google Sketchup (Art, Design Tech, ICT)
• Additional villages where they speak other languages (MFL)

The possibilities are as limitless as your learners' imagination!