Truly Immersive: Virtual Environments

This special "Experience IT" session is designed to offer a hands-on, highly interactive introduction to an emerging tool and explore its potential impact for professional development and the classroom. Please bring a laptop or iPad to the session to ensure you can engage with the presenter. Seating will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

A virtual world is an immersive online environment whose "residents" are avatars representing individuals who participate through the Internet. Many institutions are experimenting with virtual worlds for educational purposes, allowing students to interact with peers, visit "distant" locations, or develop their own learning environments. They may foster constructivist learning by placing students in a context that challenges them to learn without explicit learning objectives and assessment. This session will provide an introduction to virtual environments and potential uses.