Learning Scenario
Learning Scenario
Many online resources can be used to facilitate learning effectively. Although Second Life is not one of the most popular resources, it can result in effective learning because of the engagement. Second life is a virtual world that allows learners to explore islands for educational purposes. The following scenario illustrates the potential Second Life has for learning in a History class by exploring the U.S. Holocaust Museum.
Mr. Alvarez is introducing the Holocaust era, but before getting into it he wants to give his students a first-hand view of what led to the Holocaust. Mr. Alvarez then introduces Second Life and takes the students on a field trip to the U.S. Holocaust Museum.
The Holocaust Museum begins with a newsroom. In this newsroom, Mr. Alvarez's students begin to explore the different accounts of Jew's experiences during and after Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass." There are many documents all over the newsroom that the students can use to investigate what happened during this time. Mr. Alvarez then asks them to write a summary of what exactly happened during Kristallnacht.
After the newsroom, Mr. Alvarez escorts his students into town, the next location of the field trip. In the town, various Jewish buildings have been looted, vandalized, and burned. Mr. Alvarez breaks up his students into 5 groups and assigns every student a building that they have to locate and describe to their other classmates.
After the town, Mr. Alvarez directs the students towards the Synagogue. Mr. Alvarez describes the Synagogue and asks the students several questions to activate their critical thinking skills. Ex: Why did German's require that firemen contain the fire within the Synagogue?
After the Synagogue, Mr. Alvarez guides the students to the last stop, the last newsroom. In this room, Mr. Alvarez asks the students to explore once more and asks that the students read out loud the experiences of survivors of The Night of Glass.
Mr. Alvarez finishes the field trip by closing off on how this night was one of the primary factors that led to the Holocaust era. As an exit ticket, Mr. Alvarez asks his students to fill out a KWL chart. In this chart, the students are required to provide a statement of what they know, what they want to know, and what they learned.
With this tour, Mr. Alvarez's students were able to gain a first-hand experience of what led to the Holocaust and the experiences of Jewish people.