Teaching and Learning in Virtual Environments

Useful to school librarians, teachers, and faculty, this book explains the range of possibilities for creating immersive learning experiences through the use of virtual worlds, virtual simulations, virtual collections, exhibits by libraries and museums, and archives.

There is a renaissance occurring in education with immersive learning via virtual applications and environments, even at the elementary school level. This widespread new movement is happening over more platforms than before-Second Life, Open Sim, Unity3D, Curio, and others. Teaching and Learning in Virtual Environments: Archives, Museums, and Libraries presents readers with the scope of possibilities for education in virtual environments today. Written from the perspective of the practitioner, it provides a wealth of teaching tips for virtual environments and for combining virtual environments with other emerging technologies for libraries and education.

Chapters describe how recent developments in technology have made web-based virtual worlds more accessible for teaching and learning and discuss the unique benefits and affordances of educating in virtual environments as well as their applications to different subjects. The teaching applications cover the primary and secondary school levels, higher education and graduate-level environments, and even beyond formal education into building immersive "information experiences" for professional training applications, library users, and the general public. The text provides an up-to-date overview for educators, academic and public librarians, and archives and museum staff on recent developments with immersive learning; presents innovative programs and teaching ideas; covers administrative issues; and addresses the student's perspective as well.

Auteur

Patricia C. Franks, PhD, is program coordinator for the Master's Degree in Archives and Records Administration at the School of Information at San Jose State University.

Lori A. Bell is adjunct lecturer with San Jose State School of Information and the University of Hawaii Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Rhonda B. Trueman is acquisitions and access services librarian at Northwest Florida State College.