Can I make my avatar blue??

The below clip gives you a short introduction and overview to Second Life:

Wow! Such an amazing place! And I am not being sarcastic! Strangely, the opportunities in this world are real and the educational opportunities are enormous. Students can learn life skills such as planning and budgeting. Imagine taking students to the Louvre to visit the Mona Lisa – they can be taken on a guided tour and interact with each other within the virtual world. 

Cybersafety

As Web 2.0 has developed into a collaborative and interactive environment, there has been a proliferation of social networking sites. Social networking sites such as Facebook require people to be at least 13 years old to join. In the Primary School domain, there are sites such as Moshimonster and Club Penguin that allow students network with each other over the internet. These are great for students to develop and maintain networks and increase their ability to communicate with each other.

It is essential that issues surrounding online issues and behaviour are addressed in the classroom. The ACMA cybercitizen profile is based on four capabilities:

• Positive online behaviour
• Digital media literacy
• Peer and personal safety
• E-security

It is important for people to be aware of what their online profile is and to think of what some of the impacts of their online profiles might be. For example, children that have a profile with their full name and date of birth may encounter some level of identity theft in the future.

Treat people in the online world as you would in everyday life.

WebQuests

This short clip on youtube gives a quick introduction and overview to what a webquest is and how it can be used in the classroom:

The purpose of a WebQuest is to understand a topic through the use of the Internet and is a way to organise and present information on the topic.

There are many websites that have been developed for school students to collaborate together across the globe. One that was particularly interesting is iEARN which is a website that can connect schools and teachers around the globe.

The school students in the remote community of Nyirrpi in Central Australia are participating in the Teddy Bear Exchange program with students in Canada. This extends on the more traditional adventures of the classroom teddy bear where students take the bear home for the weekend and take pictures of their adventures. The Canadian students have sent “Bucky the Bear” to Nyirrpi where he has been part of a bush-tucker expedition and traditional Aboriginal dancing. The students of Nyirrpi sent a kangaroo who has played in snow fights and been to Niagara falls.

It is such an interactive and amazing way for students to learn and connect with other geographies, cultures and lifestyles.

Collective Intelligence

Collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals. It is not a new concept, but with the development and progress of Web 2.0, it has multiplied the opportunities for people to work together and collectively use their intelligences.

In the article, “Concept of Collective Intelligence” by David Wechsler (1971), Gustave LeBon put forward the concept of the “popular mind” to explain the predictably irrational behaviour of crowds. He hypothesizes that when part of a crowd, an individual acts as if he is on automation, subject to the will of a leader and at the mercy of his unconscious drives. Further, LeBon argues that the intelligence of the crowd is always below the average of the population as a whole.

If LeBon is correct and the intelligence of a crowd is always below the average of the population, this has a number of interesting implications for using Web 2.0. For instance, as a member of a group or a blog, are you part of a crowd? What happens during an online discussion with a time limit and strong opposing opinions are expressed? Are students more likely to jump on the bullying bandwagon if they see their peers bullying and don’t want to be excluded?

By using the web to interact, discuss and build knowledge, people are generally able to put more thought and time into responses. A sentence can be written, edited and even deleted as the piece goes on. People have personalities, values and opinions and these continue to play a significant role online. However, just because someone says or argues a point online, does not mean that it is right or accurate or necessarily reflective of your own opinion and this is where the role of critical literacy comes in to play.