Teacher/Student Roles in Virtual Worlds: A Constructivist Approach
PROCEEDINGS
Karen Barone, Indiana University of PA / Shippensburg University of PA, United States
Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, in Nashville, Tennessee, USA ISBN 978-1-880094-84-6 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Waynesville, NC USA
Abstract
This paper explores the necessary changes that must take place in teacher/student roles in order to effectively utilize virtual worlds as a learning environment. Traditional “teacher-centered” models of instruction are not effective in immersive learning environments such as virtual worlds. The teacher must adapt to a more “learner-centered” model by incorporating a constructivist learning approach. This approach narrows the gap between teacher and student by employing roles that are far less hierarchical and more akin to master and apprentice. The constructivist approach lends itself perfectly to a virtual world application; however, teachers must be prepared to overcome the inherent obstacles that this application presents.
Citation
Barone, K. (2011). Teacher/Student Roles in Virtual Worlds: A Constructivist Approach. In M. Koehler & P. Mishra (Eds.), Proceedings of SITE 2011--Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2049-2053). Nashville, Tennessee, USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved March 28, 2024 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/36605/.
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