Introduction to imagiLEARNING

Today’s learners are different. Although a mantra of every new generation, we are currently engaged in a period of cultural transition similar to that following Gutenberg’s introduction of the printing press; a transition which changes the basic roles and relationships of society, impacts all corners of the globe, and cannot be ignored or avoided.

One facet of the transition grows from our new awareness of the learning experience itself, and is based in the principles of neuro-plasticity and connectivity. The additional facet is the profound integration of previously independent technologies, leading to a culture of digital immersion. A growing number of the learners in our traditional classrooms have never known life without cell phones, text-messaging, high speed internet connections, and digital games as learning tools.

Because of their ongoing learning experiences, we now know that behaviors we often abhor in our classrooms are less a result of choice, and more a result of their physical, internal wiring; their developmental experiences truly make us different. Their insistence upon understanding the personal value in what they are asked to do, their open and vocal expectation for choices in their learning activities, and their demand to be entertained, most often seen as acts of rebellion and disrespect, are more accurately a simple continuance of the expectations created in them as a result of their highly engaged and self-directed experiences of their digital culture. This is the result of a lifelong cultural experience of immediate communication access to other people and information, and of the freedom to self-select activities based upon current self-interest and engagement; significantly created through the use of digital gaming in early learning experiences.

This Profession Development Module will introduce you to the world of the digital culture. Using the online virtual world technology of Secondlife.com, this module will guide you painlessly (kind of) through an immersion experience in a 3d virtual environment similar to that found in the most popular Massive Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games (MMPORPGS) so popular with many of our digital learners.

This module may be completed asynchronously (on your own time), but if you desire to, you can also interact directly with Virtual Bacon, the online avatar (character representation) of John Jamison, creator and owner of the island of imagiLEARNING. Once in the virtual world, you may send Virtual Bacon an IM (instant message). Instructions will be given later.

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