Learning in Virtual Environments: People Learn Through Activity

I've always been a believer in situated cognition. Situated
what?

Situated Cognition: knowing is inseparable from doing.

Virtual environments such as 3D worlds, 2D collaboration tools
(i.e. Cisco Webex), and of course Twitter provide an opportunity
for learning to be active. In 3D worlds learners can be
immersed in a simulated environment and co-create (i.e. build),
discover, reflect, etc. and all contextually situated. In 2D
environments, learners can share an application, chat,
collaborate on a whiteboard, etc. and again it's very active and
contextual. Then, Twitter. Ah, our well loved Twitter. Could
this virtual environment (i.e. microblogging) be what proves
situated cognition theorists completely accurate? I bet it does
because situated cognition says that learning requires thinking
on the fly instead of storage and retrieval of knowledge. How
better to think on the fly than to organize a network of
colleagues and ask them what they think any time, anyplace, and
on any device. Actively learn from your peers at all times and
rely on them to make you whole. Do it with Cisco Webex and microblogging.
If you need to co-create or practice in an authentic visual and functional environment similar to live face-to-face, use a 3D virtual world.


Learning is inseparable from people. It is active. And,
virtual learning environments afford what face-to-face
environments could have, but we never took advantage of. They
provide an opportunity to be active and connect with peers. People learn through activity with others and through situations rather than accumulation of knowledge. People do not learn through lecture. Remember, Benjamin Franklin read quite a bit, but he learned through experiments and situations such as "paying too much for the whistle.". He changed the world through experiments. He also learned because his father ensured there would be intellectual conversation at every dinner table. He learned through experiments and discussions with experts. He would have loved Twitter.

I am fond of learning in virtual environments because they help learners become more active.