One Planet Education Network

Virtual worlds are an emerging form of technology where users can take the form of an avatar and move around within a simulated environment. Such worlds may have potential in the field of education to provide students with new learning opportunities by affording participation in tasks that often would not be possible in the real world due to constraints and restrictions, such as cost, scheduling, or location. Although there is growing support that virtual worlds may promote student learning,...

This project team will develop three-dimensional (3D) web-based virtual reality games as a supplement to middle school life science, social studies, and persuasive writing curricula. The games will be based in environments that are representations of real-world U.S. National Parks, including Mesa Verde National Park and World Heritage Site, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Marine Sanctuary (with the support of the Cousteau Ocean Futures Society)....