625 - Week #6 - Immersive Simulations

​The data being gathered by students in these immersive simulations, primarily, is real time feedback on how they’re doing.  This is integral to the 21st century learner as we learned in the Brown video we saw in 624 (2013).  On a completely off-topic side note, John Seely Brown is a hero to me!  21st Century learners want immediate feedback like they’re used to getting from video games and the like.  They want to, as soon as possible, understand clearly what is needed for them to level up in their learning!  In my world, the world of drama, it’s hard to imagine how to use an immersive situation as shown in the video we watched, but I suppose such an environment could potentially be used to facilitate certain kinds of learning in the drama world.  Specifically, set, sound, light, prop and costume design.  They could conceivably actually create designs for a virtual performance to be given on a virtual stage.  I could guide students through how to make design choices based on information from the script and have them journal their experience experimenting with design choices.  I could serve as director of the virtual production and give notes on their design choices, send them back to the drawing board, and receive updated design concepts.  Production design paperwork could be included that could be altered as the design process happens, then at the very end they could present their designs explaining how they came to their final design choices.  I would also, for sure, have a reflective element so they can reflect on their experience and share insights on their own learning.  On top of all that, I would provide feedback on things I had seen in their process, so they’d get a variety of feedback; from peers, from themselves and from me!  Ya, I think that could work.  I would likely take quite a bit of time to set up, but once set up, could be a very valuable medium for student learning that would encourage engagement, reflection and mastery of design concepts and the creative/design process in general.