Monday, September 21, 2009

QuestAtlantis -an international learning and teaching project at Indiana University’s School of Education

An exerpt from the website:
Designed to support social commitment and real-world action, Quest Atlantis has over 20,000 registered members worldwide. The project is intended to engage children ages 9–16 in a form of transformational play comprising both online and off-line learning activities, with a storyline inspiring a disposition towards social action.

The core elements of Quest Atlantis are 1) a 3-D multi-user virtual environment, 2) learning Quests and unit plans, 3) a storyline, presented through an introductory video, novel and comic book, that involves a mythical Council and a set of social commitments, and 4) a globally-distributed community of participants.

The activities of Quest Atlantis take place in registered Centers, typically schools, under the direction of teachers who have undergone professional development and training.
Example Unit. The Taiga Water Quality Unit is an interactive narrative set within an aquatic habitat (Taiga National Park) where a serious ecological problem has resulted in many fish dying.; taiga In the unit, students navigate through the virtual park and interact with other players and non-player characters who communicate their perspective on the problem.

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