G.A.S. and Simulations

As your e-learning development skills improve, you may begin to use games, avatars, and scenarios together in different combinations. It's recommended that an e-learning episode begin with a story-line (scenario) that builds and builds all the way to the end of the lesson, taking twists and turns appropriate to the content being provided. The learner becomes involved in the story immediately, before any knowledge content is presented as an experiential learning episode. An avatar may be presented as a coach, providing the knowledge content and feedback to the learner as decisions are being made. A game may be thrown in at the end, instead of a test, if a grade or some form of measurement is needed. A game might also be used as a way to break up the story, sort of like an interactive commercial that tests the knowledge that has been presented up to that point in the lesson. There are a variety of ways to include games, avatars, and scenarios in e-learning opportunities for individual learners.


You may even consider building simulations. On-line simulations are 3D versions of scenarios that sometimes have a game-like feel, and may employ instructor and/or student avatars. A friend of mine explained the difference in scenarios and simulations like this: scenarios are the story, simulations are the event. Simulations use the scenario story line while allowing the learner to engage more fully into the event. Simulations become games when a competitive edge is added. Adding avatars to the simulations, especially when the student's avatar interacts with other avatars, increases the socialization of the e-learning process, which can improve the effectiveness of the learning opportunity since many people learn best in social environments.


There are so many ways to utilize games, avatars, scenarios, and simulations for educational purposes online. Explore the options, experiment with techniques, run pilot tests, and most of all...have a gas!

Avatars

Hi, I am Xan's avatar. I was created at DoppleMe.com absolutely free! May I tell you a little bit about how me and my avatar friends can support your e-learning?

One thing we avatars can do for your e-learning is create a social feel to an otherwise lonely learning module. Adding avatars, like me, to your e-learning is also known to make your modules memorable, and therefore increase the effectiveness of the learning opportunity.

You can employ avatars like me to support students as they navigate through a course, provide feedback or coaching to the students, and you may even decide to allow the students to create their own avatars that will interact with others in a classroom or adventure game setting. Avatars have been said to be better than real teachers because they do not make mistakes which live instructors make. For example, have you ever had a student ask a dumb question and you struggled not to make a weird face? I don't make weird faces!! The student can go on thinking what their grandparents told them, "there are no dumb questions."
Now, I'm a pretty simple avatar. I don't talk. I don't move. I'm not in 3D. But some of my avatar friends are! So you can be as fancy as you want with avatars in your e-learning creations.

There are many many avatar creation programs available. Search online until your heart is content and see what you find. Tom Khulmann also describes how he add characters to his online creations in his blog.

Your turn to talk:

• What great avatar creation programs have you found?


• In what ways have you used avatars?

One last thing, may I tell you where Xan found all this information about me and my avatar peers?

Bailenson, J. (2008, April 4). Why digital avatars make the best teachers. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from ERIC database.

Jaay, A. (2010, September 16). Better training results with AlterEgos and Camtasia Studio. Retrieved from http://newbizine.com/better-training-results-with-alteregos-and-camtasia-studio/. (2010, October 17).

Slotte, V., & Herbert, A. (2008). Engaging workers in simulation-based e-learning [Electronic version]. Journal of Workplace Learning, 20(3), 165-180.

Tools

Someone new to e-learning design may be shocked at the number of tools available and needed. The fact that it often requires several types of tools to construct the masterpiece you've dreamed up can also blow you away. In fact, when I began I became overwhelmed with the number of tools being loaded on my computer and wondered how in the world I would learn to use them all. Honestly, that is still a work in progress for me. (You can see by this table that I need to focus some learning on improving my graphic art skills.) This journey, however, has helped me understand more clearly the types of tools available and when they might be used. Be comforted because many of the tools are user friendly so getting started doesn't take too much time. Here is a short list (not exhaustive in any sense) of types of tools available for e-learning designers.

Good news! Many tools being introduced are like swiss army knives in that they can be used for more than one task. Some of the tools listed here are multipurpose. The way designers use the tools depends on the knowledge and skill of the programmer. Remember to start with what you know and add a little more knowledge and skill with each e-learning module you develop.

Be sure to check out the blogs and links on the right side of this blog page. There is a wealth of knowledge a support about e-learning available.

I'd be interested to know what your favorite tools are and why.