TCEA 2008: Created Realities Group’s Chalk House Offers Virtual World Literacy

Dr. Greg Jones over at University of North Texas is part of a new generation of professors interested in researching gaming and virtual worlds for educational purposes. I had the distinct pleasure of attending classes in a virtual lecture hall hosted through his company, Created Realities Group. In 2006, I profiled CRG and the distance learning experience in an article for TechEdge, the journal for the Texas Computer Education Association. Here is a bit of what I wrote back then:

When UNT students meet together for a session in Dr. Jones’ Created Reality Group (CRG) virtual classroom, they have three primary ways to communicate. First, they can speak through microphones attached to their computers. When one talks, others listen. In this way, students can share with one another and professors can give lectures. If multiple groups of people need to carry on conversations at the same time, they can go into different classrooms in the virtual school building for private conversations.

Second, a text chat window is also available. This is particularly useful for those students without a microphone. It also allows students to type in questions while someone is lecturing. The software keeps track of written activity, allowing the professor the opportunity to review it at a later date. The chat window can be moved and resized on students’ screens.

Finally, presentation slides can be shown during lectures. Each student sees the same slides as the lectures progress. The teacher (or student) giving the presentation is in control of when the slides advance. This results in lectures similar to what we are used to hearing and seeing in real life, the difference lying in the remote location of the participants.

In short, teaching elements found in the typical classroom are replicated in the CRG virtual classroom. The question remains, how do students like it? In his research with UNT students using the software at a distance, Jones and his colleagues discovered new students displayed an almost universal urge to explore the environment their first time logging in (Jones, Morales, & Knezek, 2005). Other elements lent themselves to a need for familiarity with the new environment before settling down and using it as the teaching tool for which it was designed.

After getting used to the software, students have expressed enthusiasm with the idea of three dimensional virtual classrooms. Many students, both in high school and at the university level, are used to traditional distance learning software. Commercial titles include WebCT and Blackboard, which have now merged, and open source products including Moodle and Sakai. All these distributed learning environments offer a two dimensional replication of paper learning. Students read the assignments, submit papers, take online quizzes, and post to discussion forums. On occasion, a real time text chat may take place.

Software like Dr. Jones’ CRG environment offer the next step in online learning: a three dimensional representation of a school building users can meet in and take live courses from the teacher at a distance. As Dr. Jones’ research continues, he posts updates of papers on his site at UNT: http://courseweb.unt.edu/gjones/

In the last couple years, Dr. Jones’ CRG team has kept busy refining and adding to the company’s offerings. I was intrigued to discover a CRG booth at TCEA 2008, and dropped by to visit with my professor and see what his team has been up to. What I discovered was a brilliant concept for teaching students at the middle and high school levels, a new product from CRG called Chalk House. Here is the introduction from the CRG website:

Chalk House, the first in a series of situated learning modules being developed as a collaboration between Created Realities Group and the Design+Research Collective, is an online computer-based 3D environment in which game play and engaging narrative are used to improve student literacy skills, namely reading and writing, are the key focus of learning. Chalk House uses the CRG 3D online learning environment to deliver this learning module.

One thing became clear while I played through Chalk House at CRG’s booth: students used to modern videogames will feel right at home in the environment. Quest givers and fulfillers use common nomenclature and symbolism. The environment uses situated learning, placing students in the role of investigating a spooky house. Several literacy events ensue, involving an engaging narrative and requiring much reading and writing for students. A six step writing process is required of students in which they go through a pre-writing step, create rough drafts, revise their drafts, engage in peer editing and teacher editing, and finally turn in a polished product.

Chalk House offers a product specifically tailored for students resistant to traditional text teaching. By couching extensive reading and writing in a virtual world, the program offers pedagogical opportunities students won’t find in many other places. It’s a well-polished product backed by extensive research. For more info on Chalk House, and a bibliography of the papers backing up its philosophical and functional frameworks, visit http://created-realities.com/chalkhouse.html

References:
Jones, J. G., Morales, C., & Knezek, G. A. (2005). 3d online learning environments: Examining attitudes toward information technology between students in internet-based 3d and face-to-face classroom instruction. Educational Media International, 42(3), 219-236.

Rice, J. (2006, Spring). The (virtual) classroom of tomorrow. TechEdge 25(3). 14-15, 41.

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