Project-based learning not particularly new

The snail's pace that education uses to transform the learning process with technology never ceases to amaze me. This week an article in the New York Times touts technology-supported "project-based learning" as the new "silver bullet" that will finally revolutionize education. "Project-based learning has been around for decades. The only thing technology really adds to the process is collaborative support through a social networking portal. Once again, the computer's true strength, simulation, is left out of the equation.

The project example given is designed around a letter from the White House bemoaning high oil prices, a faltering economy, and falling popularity polls:

"The new Web education networks can open the door to broader changes. Parents become more engaged because they can monitor their children’s attendance, punctuality, homework and performance, and can get tips for helping them at home. Teachers can share methods, lesson plans and online curriculum materials.

In the classroom, the emphasis can shift to project-based learning, a real break with the textbook-and-lecture model of education. In a high school class, a project might begin with a hypothetical letter from the White House that says oil prices are spiking, the economy is faltering and the president’s poll numbers are falling. The assignment would be to devise a new energy policy in two weeks. The shared Web space for the project, for example, would include the White House letter, the sources the students must consult, their work plan and timetable, assignments for each student, the assessment criteria for their grades and, eventually, the paper the team delivers. Oral presentations would be required."

But where is the program that can take solutions offered by the students and project the historical outcomes - the fertile soil in which many fruitful discussions can take root?

SecondLife like a holodeck in miniature

With all the flurry of activities lately focused on SecondLife I decided I’d better finally give in and give it a try. Now, I think I’m doomed!!! I blew away five hours yesterday morning without hardly realizing it!

I also discovered it’s a little scary psychologically speaking. I’ve been “invisible” so long that I am now uncertain what to do now that I have a young body again in SecondLife and men suddenly take an interest in talking to me. I hope I can keep conversations on a totally intellectual level. I don’t want to give anyone the wrong impression. This environment could have real implications for psychologists wishing to study human interaction because you can edit your avatar anytime you wish or totally transform into a completely different ethnicity, gender, etc. with the click of the mouse. And, as I have already observed in my brief time there, other people’s reactions change accordingly. Throw in the tendency for some people to ignore social graces in the online environment and you have a potentially volatile combination.

There are six rules that apply to SecondLife meant to minimize social havoc but there are always those people who are looking for ways around the rules. I was in Help Island and a man walked in without anything on but body tattoos even though the rules clearly state nudity is prohibited in areas not marked as mature. He was probably an experienced resident who created a new account with a custom avatar and was prancing around just to see how long he could get away with it.

However, SecondLife is exciting – like a holodeck in miniature. There are interesting places to go and beautiful environments to enjoy. There is a list of educational sites and I saw that the Weather Service has built a simulation where you can experience what it is like to fly a plane through a hurricane. Now if I can just get my nerve up enough to teleport to the mainland!