CHAMBER 1: a description

In oder to have a closer look to chamber 1, the reader will find below: 1. a "map" of the chamber 2. a presentation of chamber 1 by the programmers of EON

1. A look at the map:

 Locate me with map
The hum of electricity, slowly a light shines, and a cursor blinks.



[What chamber would you like to view (1-7)]
>1
          HD       N
      BH  NI      W E
 {LS IC} SCC EI       S
          SC
          BV
          SL
          SL
          PV
          IC

IC- Interior of Cube   PV- Picturesque View   SL- Slope
BV- Bottom of Valley   SC- Science Compound   SCC- Science Compound Courtyard
LS- Lev Station        IC- Information Center BH- Bore Hole
EI- Eon Information    NI- New Immigrants     HD- Help Desk

Thank you for using the Rayajavikk and Ryder Digital Mapper

Chamber One.

Chamber One is mostly empty. Potential users of EON arrive here. The environment has been constructed to help learners independently discover how to function in a text-based virtual reality where the responsibility for learning lies with the learner. The chamber (in fact, all of EON) uses a story or narrative as part of the learning experience. If learners can successfully negotiate chamber one and obtain an official character, we can assume they:

• Can successfully pretend that the text-based EON world is a real world with rooms, people and objects.
• Know the rudimentary commands for moving about the world.

Underlying Assumptions:

• People learn better in "authentic" settings. That is, settings which involve a story or narrative.
• Learning should be scaffolded. That is, learning challenges should be within a learner's Zone of Promixal Development . . . a concept borrowed from Lev Vygotsky. A ZPD includes those things a learner can learn right now with the assistance of others.
• Learners learn best when they actively pursue knowledge, rather than have it passively presented to them.
• The primary barrier to using networked virtual reality is successfully learning to pretend that being part of a world which exists only in symbols (written words) is a "real" or "valid" experience. Further, I assume that young folks have an easier time learning to do this than adults. Finally, I assume that not all people will be able to learn to pretend successfully and that introduction of multi-media may increase the number who can.

E.F.B