Following my last past on virtual worlds and their place in the learning environment in our schools, I was pleased to learn from James Corbett about an Irish initiative in primary schools that also provides a source of inspiration to us ‘downunder‘.
Daynuv is an Irish social enterprise working in partnership with GiftedKids.ie in primary schools to bring virtual worlds into education. Not surprisingly, they are seeing some tremendous results.
At the Gaelscoil Eoghain uí Thuairisc in Carlow, Ireland where lessons are taught in Irish they are implementing the use of 3D technology for the learning support of gifted children. This is the first time that this technology has been used in Ireland to teach part of the school curriculum. The interactivity and detail of the 3D technology means that anything you can do or build in the real world can be replicated in this virtual world. The Virtual World of Gifted Kids.
Now that their pilot program has been a success they are planning on rolling the project out nationwide in 2011 and will be looking to make links with schools internationally. They use Opensim too, which has the advantages of the Hypergrid protocol which makes possible the option to teleport ( have virtual field trips) between schools. Using Opensim, schools can safely collaborate with each other, and grow their virtual networks at a pace that suits their student’s own learning needs.
It’s great to see groups and organisations helping to promote virtual worlds learning environments!
judyoconnell.com 