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This paper is meant to report on a particular type of virtual Environment linked to educational activities. In order to understand the goals, the structure and how to use one of these environments, I choose to study EON and therefore got an official character in this MOO.
I wish to thank all the learners of EON which Only_b (me) has interfered with for their collaboration, just as well as the other players in others MOOs which I have encountered in order to undertstand better what makes the difference between EON,CollegeTown, FrenchMOO, and TECFAMOO.
What is a MOO ? The questions is often asked, even in MOOs themselves, when people enter them while browsing among the electronic communication facilities of their college or university, for example.
I shall not attempt to brief on the subject for two reasons. The first one is others have already done it better than I could, the second is that it is not the direct purpose of this report.
Nevertheless, I wish to point the reader to one paper I recommend: "A Hypertext History of Multi-User Dimensions" by Lauren P. Burka. The reader will find a definition of a MUD. It is stated that "MUDs have most of the following characteristics: several people can play at once; the game is partitionned into virtual space ("rooms") such as people and objects in one room cannot directly interact with people and objects in another room; all interaction takes place in text,...". If the reader has some questions which he/she dares not ask, in fear to be considered an ignorant, a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on these virtual worlds is also available.
Since MUDs have been created, various subgroups have developped. One of them is a particular evolution of the Multi Users Dimension Object Oriented (MOO) called VEE. Their purpose is to offer a virtual space for Education.
EON has been conceived as a Virtual Educational Environnement by members of the Staff of Maricopa College District (MCCD) at Mesa (Phoenix) Arizona. The available information on EON virtual school can be reached here.
Wishing to implement a constructivist epistemology at MCCD, Greg Swan (ref) and Billie Hughes published a paper "Constructivism: Definition and Implications for Implementation". They present a summary of the implications of such a change on teaching/learning activities. Considering that "...constructivism cannot function within our [MCCD's] system of discipline distinction...",they agreed it was not feasible to strive for a global change of paradigm in the institution. Instead, they suggested the implementation of a virtual space whose indefined limits would "...free the pedagogy allowing it to shape the structure".
Hence the creation of EON. This virtual space also offers other interesting possibilities like the crossing of international lines on Internet providing "intercultural learning environment"
The most decisive change EON offers is the shift from building teaching systems to building learning tools: I chall decribe these tools throughout a presentation of the goals, the structure and the social organisation of EON.
Globaly, EON is meant to offer "..an environment where students can learn and receive credit through self paced study". The full list of EON goals can be found here.
The introductive sentence of the list of EON's goals calls for comments. Receiving College credits is basically left to the appreciation of members of staff organising educational activities on the MOO. But some ways are offered to students (learners) to gain various types of credit:
I wish to comment on some implications of a selection the various goals of EON:
As the structure of EON partly gives a map of its social organisation, I shall present elements of these two sides together.
EON's virtual space presents at this stage some kind of a city surrounded by some peculiar environments. It is divided into seven sections (each called chamber and made out of many rooms). Not all of them may be visited by the new user of EON.
Being entitled to enter sections depends on the "social-class" the user of EON belongs to. Discovering EON is an "initiatiory " experience. At various stages, rites are to be accomplished. From the state of guest (first time logged in) to the one of wizard, the road is long and I shall present below the main stages one can reach in a MOO like EON.
The first time one connects to EON, one is named guest. Tradition wants in most MOOs that some complement is added to distinguish various guests connected at the same time, be it with a colour, a name of an animal, and so on, added to the title of guest. EON has a different way to name you: the name mentionned first on your E-Mail adress is used with guest written in brackets (Hofer[Guest]).
Telling everyone who you are shows that EON belongs to a special category of MOO's: you are not only someone who wants to play a role but also a person in itself. This goes together with making available the command (@whois) allowing to know the E-Mail adress of anybody on EON.
The new player, called learner in EON (this goes with the ideology of EON: everybody connected on EON is a learner), is placed in a tutorial environment (Chamber 1). The first virtual room the learner is entering in is a metal cube. (Answer will come to know whether in the conception of EON, that room was so designed in order to figurate the box of knowlegde, see: 2001 Space Odyssea directed by Stanley Kubrick).
The learner has to find his way, moving, looking at signs and notes and interpreting them correcty in order to find oneself in the "Science Compounds" of EON.
Wise, the learner will move to "Information Center" and gain some information: an index of basic commands (newbie help) as well as the set of goals of EON. Information is also provided on the fact that there is a hierarchy among EON's learners. Learners carry badges: red is for guests, yellow is for registered learners, green is for programmers.
In order to receive a "official character" on EON, the player must register. If a learner can obtain this character, it is assumed that the learner knows "the rudimentatry commands for moving around" EON, as stated in a description of chamber one.
Once an official character, the learner whishes to know more about EON. Passing through to chamber 2 is allowed. That is where the learner will find parts of a city with streets, buildings and so on.
Here the learner will learn more ways to move about and to communicate. Opportunity will be given to meet other learners, to find the "Green Badge Distribution Cubicle" and to be made a programmer. An example of this ceremony is available here.
Many other rooms are built in Chamber two. Let me mention a hotel, where a room can be made available, shops, bars, etc. But the most important site of chamber two is evidently the Convention Centre . There, the learner finds a room where the "Unix people" meet, usually, most of the wizards spend some of their time on EON there.
Just next door is the Internet room allowing for tutorial, grading and Internet connections. Adjacent are located the Internet Exploratorium -leading to a room meant to allow connection to the WEB and Gopher- as well as The Reporting Room.
A learner going into the Reporting Room will be expected to use it to report of the experiences gained using Internet and to ask for grading on the report. This room has mainly been built as a check point for the Internet classes of Greg Swan.
Linked to the Convention Center Corridor, the InterVVE Communication room offers a mean to see who is connected to EON via others VEE like BayMOO, DU, etc.
The various rooms linked to the Convention Center are presently not indicated on the Map provided for learners.
Once entitled to a green badge, a learner may venture to others parts of the world (EON's). Chamber three contains EON offices and Planning Center, the Lounge, EON Television Studio as well aslearners'houses. Chamber four leads the learner into the "eco-sytem". Exploratory forest and mouse's nest await development. Chamber five is momentarily empty Chamber six hosts MOO tutorial and ist Engeneering room. Chamber seven offers a cyberntic trip... clalled "The way". This room is also under development.
Once a programmer, a lot is still to be learned: programming, connecting to other resources of Internet, participating to new educational projetcs. Sharing with other learners the development of the world. A large set of tasks await the "blue programmer". Help, interaction is sought. EON's people wish to develop their world, the present state of the list of projects makes is evident.
Experience helping a learner may become a wizard (a very good programmer) but then,there is another class. That is the core wizzards, the people really in charge of a world. In Eon, if a learner needs an answer to this level, the gurus to contact are: arthropod, shkoo and xymox (in alphabetical-order).
Communication on EON is, as in real life, a matter of life. Among the ways available on EON, I shall mention:
Moving around EON is a constant learning process. From the tutorial chamber (chamber 1) to installing an interface to the Web, the knowledge (or the capacity) has evolved, but the act of learning is always present.
Nevertheless, most learning activities on EON are linked to EON itself or to the overall Internet ressources. This is not the case of all other MOOs. FrenchMOO (speaking french, therefore creating opportunities to do so), BioMOO (same for Biology), ColledgeTown ou DU (where other academic fields are directly involved).
A good example of making learn fun could be the following. On FrenchMOO, a room is being built to offer the opportunity to play poker. While playing poker, the users will both learn how to play the game and developp their ability to speak french. As "only" one out of five players (approximation of a french player: cirrus), it makes no doubt intercultural activity must take place as well. (Presently "Henri" is looking for help, he needs good french speaking poker player in order to write correctly his program. This as well is a good opportunity to learn !)
The basics of programming can be learned on EON with the help of other learners as well as with the help of a "tutorial" offered on a "tape". The metaphore is interesting. The learner is in front of the machine seing sentences witten on a screen. Then the tutorail gives instructions on how to pause or resume the tape in order to have the time to perform the task. The process of one session can be read here.
The purpose of such a tape is evident. Who among the programmers and wizards would spend hours repeating the same information while this repetitive task can be performed perfectly by a program. Its is much better to spend time developping other programs and helping out on situation as "help I don't have a clew" than to take a learner by the hand and say "repeat after me"!
The idea behind the tapes (1 and 2) is to offer to the blue programmer the opportunity to build an object (here a box of donuts which never gets empty) which can be later used to give "birth" to all kinds of other objetcs having some of the same qualities. This purpose comes on top of the first programming abilities. The real work of a "tutor" comes afterwards. Most of the time the job is rather to answer questions as: "may I do that ?", and "if I do it this way, will it work?". Very often comes as well: "I've done that and that...but it does not work properly, can you give me a hint ?".
On the blue programmer's side, the tapes are welcomed. Probably the major aspect is the fact that one can learn on one's own. There is nobody (apparently...) to watch the first mistake a blue programmer is doing! And after a sucessfull run, the learner gets some congratulations (included in the tape) as well as a treat : the never-empty box of donuts: just what one needs to go on programming for hours. Another side of the tape is that the task is not difficult and presented step by step. I watched a learner who said having no idea of programming making his way rather easily through the tape. I just had to encourage him at the beginning !
Better, this character had entered on EON by chance, surfing on his college network. He did not know anything about MOOs and therfore EON. A short presentation tempted him and a first hands on programming made the student of journalism a new learner eager to get the most of EON !
Rich of new experiences, I believe that MOO's can offer a good solution to a number of educational activities and I am looking forward to the results of ongoing developments in the world of MOOs. I have written the outlines of a small educational project (in french) relying on a MOO. It will benefit of the fact that people can work on their own on a MOO, preparing courses, filling notes, controlling them, etc.and later meet and discuss the work. Obviously working in groups is also made easier as collaboration is encouraged.
Nevertheless, although I fully applaud to the use of a MOO on a local network - see below- I must keep worried about the costs of connection here in Switzerland. I see people working in institutions, like schools, but I have doubts about the private use of MOO's for secondary school students. I hope the situation will evolve.
Concerning the use of a MOO on a local network, I believe, together with many users and especially Remy Evard, that MOO can "..keep a physically disjoint staff working together effectively" (from: "Collaborative Networked Communication: MUDs as System Tools"). The idea of programming a bell ringing when some other user is paging you seems fine. At this stage I don't know yet if anybody has succeded, but STAF collegues have been working on it. Let'us experience it when working at TECFA.
The rapid ease of use of MOOs, related to the WEB graphic interface (like with BayMOO) will probably cause a large demand on MOOs. This fact will force the people in charge of MOOs to redefine the goals of their virtual worlds. Questions of ethics (see the well known paper published in Village Voice) as well as quotas and finances will need to find new solutions. As Terence Drozdowski is joining the building of TECFAMOO, I'm sure we will benefit of the dicussions taking place at Mesa.