Presence Pedagogy: Building Communities of Practice in Virtual Worlds

We would like to invite you to the next presentation in our series of free, online CIDER sessions. Our next session features a group presentation and discussion with Amy Cheney, Rob Sanders, John Tashner, and Nita Matzen from Appalachian State University, and Steve Bronack of Clemson University.

Presence Pedagogy: Building Communities of Practice in Virtual Worlds

As the use of 3D immersive virtual worlds in higher education expands, it is important to examine which pedagogical approaches are most likely to bring about success. AET Zone, a 3D immersive virtual world in use for more than eight years, is one embodiment of pedagogical innovation that capitalizes on what virtual worlds have to offer to social aspects of teaching and learning. This presentation will focus on this approach, known as Presence Pedagogy (P2), a way of teaching and learning grounded in social constructivist theory. In it, the concepts of presence, building a true community of practice, and constructing an online environment which fosters collaboration for reflective learning are paramount. Unlike learning communities that might emerge from a particular course taught under more traditional circumstances, students engaged in a P2 learning environment become members of a broader community of practice in which everyone in the community is a potential instructor, peer, expert, and novice-all of whom learn with and from one another.

When: Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 11am – 12pm MDT(Edmonton)

Where: Online via Elluminate at: https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?password=M.8B71B60F2931D029AC3837DC06B70D

Pre-Configuration
Please make sure your Mac or PC is equipped with a microphone and speakers, so that we can use the Voice over IP functionality built into the web conferencing software.
Please note that it is extremely important that you get your system set up prior to the start of the event. Information on installing the necessary software and configuring your PC is available at http://www.elluminate.com/support/ in the “First Time Users” section.

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CIDER is a Community Partner of Elluminate, who proudly sponsors our web conferencing needs. To sign up for a free, no obligation three-user version of Elluminate, please visit http://www.getvroom.com