The Teaching Box

The tools of Internet technology are all around us. They are in use all the time. I want to harness the power of the tools and the people who understand how to use them.

Lets look at an example:
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular online games ever devised.
Take a look at the Forums and Message boards.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/

The information found on these pages is absolutely amazing. The strategies, tips, and research rivals that of any encyclopedia. If you want to learn how to get your orc to level 50 in a specific dungeon, you will find exactly how to do it here.

The collaborative power of this online community knows no bounds, but remember.

THIS IS A GAME!

What if we could harness this behavior to solve real problems and perform research in the academic realm.

I see the use of these tools as becoming commonplace in the near future. Many are used right now. The key element that they lack in their use is structure and discipline.

A message board can quickly becomes a mass of information that is disorganized and useless. File upload areas become graveyards of obscurely named documents that no one can understand. Online chat becomes informal text strings of “omg, rotfl, and lol“.

I seek to create an online virtual environment where these tools are used in a structured way.

Message boards must be moderated and postings organized. File upload areas must have naming convention rules. Chat must be complete words and sentences.

The beauty of this environment is that it can be populated with students who already know the tools and how to use them. Even if they aren’t familiar with specifics, they can be taught.

1. Tools are defined and students demonstrate how to use them.
2. Rules and discipline are applied to the use of the tools
3. The virtual classroom is built, and problem solving and learning can begin

The tools of internet technology surround us. Now we must put them to use.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com