virtual worlds

Carefully considering all the technologies we've reviewed this term, my ‘favourite' tools for libraries include the Blog and the RSS feed.

I would like to first off apologize for posting this entry a little late- things at home and in my student life have been a little hectic lately and my blog got put on the back burner. The next few weeks are looking alot calmer for me (surprisingly since it's the end of term) so I don't expect to be posting this late again. So again, my apologies! I don't like to drag out too long because I know we are starting a new topic tomorrow.

Educause Learning Initiative states that ‘Using virtual
worlds for education has significant potential to foster constructivist
learning, putting students in contact with others in an immersive environment
that challenges them to figure things out for themselves, without explicit
learning objectives and assessment.'

Since I've been a long time gamer (in spite of not having the time or money to play so much in recent years), I was quite eager to get into this topic, especially because all of my years of gaming seemed to create a pretty black-and-white notion that gaming and libraries don't mix (at least in a practical way).  I'm happy to say that this week's readings really got me out of that mindset, though I am still cautious about mixing gaming and libraries.

Gaming and virtual worlds are a great way to bring the library to where the younger generations are spending a lot of their time. Gathering youths together through these two areas forms positive relationships both with the library and between the youths themselves, everyone interacting and having fun together. Gaming and virtual worlds can be very engaging and this increased focus can be harnessed into a positive learning environment.

I've really enjoyed this week, actually. I've been a gamer as long as I can remember, mainly with home consoles (NES, GameBoy Colour, GameCube, DS, and Wii are all systems that I've had in my house at one point or another! Clearly a Nintendo girl!), and a little PC gaming, too. I vividly remember my first exposure to the Sims and the instant addiction I felt!

When I first heard of Second Life, I thought it seemed silly, that it was mostly a form of entertainment for computer geeks who create fake personas because they are too awkward for the real world.  However, the readings this week opened my eyes to its advantages, especially in an educational sense.

The Positives:

The gaming blog at AADL.

I'm getting tired of hearing about Ann Arbor and all their hip library initiatives. We get it, you guys are super cool and cutting edge. With that being said I liked the look of the gaming blog, and found myself reading a few of the articles with marked interest. I'm tired of not having any venues to show off my Wii tennis skills around here.

FindIt!