Further Clarifying Quality Integration/Use of Second Life

I originally suggested the quality integration of Second Life into learning spaces to be:

to develop authentic learning projects that allow learners to engage learning content through interaction with communities and/or creation of content or products in a manner not possible through a physical or standard web-based learning environment.

However, after reading an insightful post by Beth Ritter-Guth, there's an element of quality instructional design that should perhaps be added. Beth's post highlights an issue I mentioned but did not include in the, to use the term loosely, definition: using technology for technology's sake.

Using technology simply because we can runs contrary to an essential principle of of instructional design and technology, one that I typically refer to as Occam's Razor for Educational Technologists: use the simplest technology necessary to accomplish the learning objectives.

Unfortunately, we often do not adhere to that principle; that's how I'm sure some faculty will bravely lead their students into Second Life to have a class discussion. Certainly, class discussions are beneficial, but if all we do with SL is provide the forum in which the discussion can occur, we're simply adding complexity to an activity that could be conducted via any web-based synchronous text chat tool: Blackboard's Virtual Classroom, WebCT's Chat tool, IRC channels, any of a thousand HTML/Java based chat rooms, Group Chat via AOL IM etc.

There's a variety of reasons to avoid adding complexity to a learning environment, but I do believe the issue Beth raises and discusses represents perhaps the most significant risk of new technologies. If we use technology for technology's sake, it is possible to lose sight of the learning objectives while focusing on the technology. Beth provides several examples which I'll rely on you reading rather than restating them here. Go to her blog. Bookmark it. Add it to your reader.

While quality instructional design begins with a clear understanding of the desired learning outcomes, it may be important to emphasize that point when considering exactly what represents quality integration of SL into learning spaces:

while maintaining proper focus on the desired learning outcomes, develop authentic learning projects that allow learners to engage learning content through interaction with communities and/or creation of content or products in a manner not possible through a physical or standard web-based learning environment.