Kristianstill

Topic or Tool: Smallworlds

What does it cost? FREE. SmallWorlds is a 3D virtual world (similar to Second Life and Lively) but it runs inside your web browser – no software to install. Targeted at anyone aged 13 years and above, Smallworld creators Outsmart believe that,

‘the combination of social interaction, self expression, media consumption and casual gaming features of SmallWorlds means there’s something in there for everyone, and the ease of use and general accessibility of the product means that even novice users can have a satisfying experience.’

Once you have designed your avatar, you are dropped into your virtual home with or without your virtual pet, you teleport into a multilingual international virtual world. Importantly for educators, Smallworlds is Moderated. Moderators and helpers are real easy to spot, they all have a saintly (some might say unearthly?) glow as they travel about in-world. They also wear a snappy looking blue cape with an “M” or “H” on the back just in case you miss the glow.

Whats more Smallworlds a mash-up or is mashable! ‘Mashable’ means you are able to mash together different web applications. A more professional definition can be found in the Horizon Report 2008

‘A mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source via a single, unified tool.’

Same difference. For example you can play selected radio stations through your ghetto blaster, you can hang your pictures/artwork stored on photo sharing site flickr on your walls. You can take part in game tournaments such as chess and pool and much more. Smallworlds is a real interactive experience.

How it could be used for teaching?

At this moment in time, I have used Smallworldsto introduce students to social media. Once logged in, there is an enormous amount for them to do, people to meet and etiquette to learn. The importance of personal safety, security and 21st Century safety awareness are easily reinforced through Smallworlds. Features such as room design (Design Technology) and Chat (MFL), can be easily applied in Smallworlds as students complete ‘Missions’ to help them earn credits. These credits can then be used to make purchases, an instant reward, often used to ‘pimp’ their home space.

How it could be used for learning?

More recently, I have been corresponding with the Outsmart team, discussing ways to use the many features available in Smallworld to create learning experiences. In particularly we have been looking at how Outsmart can offer staff and headstart or ‘teacher package’ and ways to use the missions to develop learning opportunities for students. For example, heading to a Maths room full of equations, with supplying the correct answers earning you credits. Or by creating rooms or great characters in history, again with questions to answer but also rooms to display photo and artwork, then entered into international competitions….. More ideas please.

I was lucky enough to be asked to contribute to the HIAS SLD days and this time I have been asked to review some NEW technologies. I thought that it might be a good idea to write short blog post on each technology or tool, colleagues could then either download / print or share the blog post for anyone to take advantage of. I am trying to be a little more eco responsible. I will try and set out a template, so anyone with any thoughts or comments, please feel free to let me know.

I thought I would start with how much, it seems to be the question everyone needs to know but was wary of asking (with the except of a few and arent pleased for the few). Then, what the tools is/does. How it could be used for teaching and how it could be used for learning. Simple, quick and easy. My version of 5 minutes meals for ICT.

Each of the blog posts that follow will be tagged HIAS SLD and hopefully, if I can keep myself organised, numbered! So look out for periodical tools reviews starting with screencasting and mini cams, well these were the first two items I was asked to review.

I have been working with OneNote, writing a scheme of work for our new OCR National in ICT, Unit 4 should be curious. Planning and constructing a scheme of work in OneNote has been a learning experience, OneNote has also offered some ‘oh, thats neat’ solutions to preparing and scripting a scheme of work, but at other times I have been a little frustrated that it was not WORD with extras. One real educational plus, OneNote has helped me reach students with low reading abilities as I have been able to record audio instructions maybe I will leave a video next time?

Here are a few things you and your students can take advantage of…

First you can write an entire notebook in one ‘location.’ This is highly likely to keep the students more organised and therefore more focused. Even then, the sections of the unit can be sub-divided further.

Like WORD, you can then hyperlink between pages, but however not to locations within a page.

Getting use to the text not defaulting to the top left can take time, but this gives you move versatility on the page.

Tagging is a great addition, I have left plenty of ToDo’s through the Worksheets, ideas and questions but will the students use them?

No centre or align text features but is there a need too when you can type anywhere? This applied to tables as well.

I have yet to use the pens function and I am note sure that I will but it not that different from freehand tools in WORD.

Limited image formatting, no wrapping for example.

Screen clipping evidence I believe will be a widely used tool with 3 months. Simple, quick and the time stamp is very useful.

Embedding sounds and video is a real asset, especially for this unit but what impact will this have on file sizes across college?

Questions to be Answered

Can the students set tasks and will this link to the Outlook accounts within College?

Will the students use the paper template, they certainly make the printouts look impressive.

When laptops become part of the furniture will my students record a lesson for later play back?

Will the students use OneNote over WORD in other areas of the their education?

Will the additional £13 be a barrier to students using the software at home?

Next year we have to work with large data sets. As a department we need to gather these large data sets but I am confident that these could be found within school subjects. Even better it could be about the students themselves. Surely Science, PE or Humanities, even Maths, gather data about the students? After watching our new ICT teacher bring several tape measures to his interview lesson to measure the students physical height, weight, foot and hand length, head circumference, the engaging power of ‘real’ data is not an opportunity we can afford to miss.

So how to collect LARGE school data sets and what data to collect. I know my good friend Tom Barrett would advise a Google Spreadsheet used as a form. Indeed I have already set up a Google form for Art for feedback and for collecting information on DVDs. Then there is SurveyMonkey, kwiksurveys looks promising. Ideas anyone on how to, and what to gather?

I continue to enjoy listening to Sir Ken Robinson speak about the evolution of education every since I first heard his TED talk a few year back. I hope that you will enjoy reflecting on his talk as the recipient of the Ben Franklin Award at the RSA.