Our colleague, Bill Sheridan (aka Billy Mapp in SL) gave a terrific presentation touting the benefits of virtual worlds and learning last week at the NASBA CPE Conference in San Diego.
While we certainly agree, having run dozens of events and classes in the virtual world of Second Life. Yet Bill offered some great insights and inspiration.
Here are his top five reasons to consider using virtual worlds for learning (see his full post titled, Virtual Worlds, Can They Save Us All?):
- Death of distance: We’re able to learn, network and collaborate anytime, from anywhere.
- World-class content: With a few connections, we can learn from the top thought leaders in their fields without having to travel and pay top-dollar to do so.
- Practice and preparation: We're using virtual worlds as playgrounds where we can create and solve problems without real-world consequences. Call it virtual crisis planning.
- Engagement: Shy students and colleagues open up and participate more freely in a virtual setting.
- Collaboration: Folks in many locations are gathering virtually to work and learn together.
Here is a copy of his presentation on Slideshare:
Still not convinced?
Bill offered plenty of examples and resources:
- Claus Nehmzow at TED on 3D Avatar School
- Jane McGonigal at TED on Gaming can make a better world
- Philip Rosedale joins CPAs virtually at AICPA Tech+ Conference
- XBRL International Conference presents virtually from CPA Island in Second Life
- XBRL training featuring Eric Cohen in Second Life
- and the first virtual music video of an Accounting Love Story
and you can find out more from the Second Life Association of CPAs (@SLACPA)
and the feature article in the Journal of Accountancy - Accounting for Second Life.
See our post How to make learning engaging, immersive, and collaborative
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