Virtual worlds offer opportunities for students to be innovative and creative within a safe and supportive environment. Students have fun while they explore, collaborate, design and evaluate. The 3D Virtual Worlds Project focuses on the NSW Quality Teaching Framework elements of higher order thinking, engagement, connectedness, inclusivity and problematic knowledge. The project aims to:
- provide a cyber-safe supportive virtual environment for students to learn through design and construction;
- encourage and support teachers to develop a unit of work through an understanding of virtual worlds;
- involve teachers and students in reflective practice and develop teachers’ skills
Evidence from our research show that 3D Virtual Worlds can support student learning across all key learning areas and when combined with self-reflection, they are powerful tools that can provide teachers with a significant expansion of opportunities for teaching and learning.
