Where have I seen this burning bush? In the students I have had the amazing fortune to work with this past year. With help from the Technology and Learning Grant from the New York State Department of Education, I have had the experience of working with schools in New York on our Islands of Enlightenment projects. This selfhosted OpenSim environment allows students to explore historical and science simulations to learn. My role is to train the teachers and provide in school support for students. And here is where the magic happens. The look on the student’s faces is truly amazing. Through their fearless exploration, their creative building, their avatar appearance changes. Here you see a side to students that you won’t find by handing them a textbook and a worksheet. Please don’t misunderstand; there is a place for textbook reading. There is a place for spelling quizzes and traditional learning approaches. But there needs to be a place for virtual environments and their ability to transform students learning. Letting students create builds is REAL WORLD compatible. Watch any home improvement show and you will see interior designers to construction workers using virtual simulations for their customers. Letting students interact in virtual environment role-play creates amazing new avenues for digital storytelling and journaling. It’s powerful, its revolutionary... and I think essential for today’s learner who is hungry for digital learning opportunities. And so I find myself as Moses once was – an ordinary man, looking to lead education out of the dark ages of educational monochrome. Many who can’t open their eyes to whimsy or new ideas, or worse, those that are envious of those thinking outside the box, won’t follow. I know. But I have climbed the mountain. I have seen the other side. But most importantly, I have seen the burning passion of students. I must believe that the passion means good things. We must move on.
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