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3D virtual worlds as collaborative communities enriching human endeavours: Innovative applications in e-learning

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Open access
Authors
Dreher, Carl
Reiners, Torsten
Dreher, Naomi
Dreher, Heinz
Date
2009
Type
Conference Paper

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Dreher, Carl and Reiners, Torsten and Dreher, Naomi and Dreher, Heinz. 2009. 3D virtual worlds as collaborative communities enriching human endeavours: Innovative applications in e-learning, in Chang, E. and Damiani, E. and Hussain, F.K. (ed), Third IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies, Jun 1-3 2009, pp. 138-143. Istanbul, Turkey: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Industrial Electronics Society.
Source Title
Proceedings of Third IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (IEEE DEST-2009)
Source Conference
Third IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (IEEE DEST-2009)
ISBN
Faculty
Curtin Business School
School of Information Systems
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© 2009 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.

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Abstract

3D virtual worlds are potent digital ecosystems because the 3D interface simulates real-world environments and the community of users creates a dynamic, real-to-life economy and in-world culture. Some virtual worlds such as Second Life empower users to generate in-world content through object building tools and programming languages; indeed the content in Second Life is entirely user-generated. This promotes a rich culture of innovation surrounding this emerging technology that continually develops the capabilities of the 3D digital ecosystem. The collaborative culture spans both the 3D in-world environment and 2D ecosystems: for example, Web 2.0 applications such as wikis and blogs facilitate support, discussion, and documentation for user-generated innovations. Innovation in 3D digital ecosystems such as Second Life are applied to all domains of human endeavour that exist in the real-world, including recreation, socialisation, commerce, and education. This paper shares the authors professional experience using Second Life in tertiary information systems/science education. Case studies describe the specific applications. They are followed by discussion of the benefits of 3D digital ecosystems for education and suggestions for future research, development, and practice.