In an innovative extension of larping (Live Action Role Playing) to education, Dr. Matt Barton (St. Cloud State University) and Dr. Charles Lowe (Grand Valley State University) are experimenting with live action distance education (LADE) in their online writing courses. Rather than using Blackboard or other learning management system software for creating a virtual classroom, Lowe and Barton simulate the distance education learning experience using physical media. Each professor has placed a large cork bulletin board outside of their office. Much like a website, students regularly visit the bulletin board where they find copies of the course syllabi, writing exercises, and project descriptions thumb-tacked. While students never meet together as a full class, groups of students can often be seen huddled around reading the many documents posted on the board.
In order to create the rich discourse of online discussion, a section of the bulletin board is labeled "forums." There, students and professors alike can create new forum topics by posting a new page to an empty section of the board. Replies to existing forum posts are tacked on top of the original, enabling a threaded discussion much like can be found on the web.
One might ask, how do students submit papers to their teacher or share them with fellow students? Each university has granted students a physical mail box with a campus address. Students submit assignments and share documents with each other using the campus mail system.
Students have been overwhelmingly positive about the experience. One student remarked, "I like that I don't have to print everything out off the web like in other online classes. Everything is there for me to read off of the bulletin board." Another comments how much she enjoys the fact that the teacher's emails are no longer clogging her inbox.
In response to criticism from others in distance education that ladeing is inefficient in a digital society, Barton and Lowe point out that student technophobes who might not otherwise take an online course and students in developing nations without the benefit of computer technology for the classroom can now enjoy the distance education experience. Moreover, Lowe remarks that ladeing could be a useful skill for adapting to a post-apocalyptic society such as in the sci-fi series Jericho where a nuclear attack and electro-magnetic pulse weapons have destroyed all computers.
As for where their work will continue from here? Lowe and Barton have plans to simulate blogging and use of wikis in their classes next semester. They are also seeking a federal grant. The funds would pay for FedEx overnight express envelopes so that students can simulate Internet communication between their two classes.
ah the good old days
In 1969, when I was taking creative writing from Albert Drake at Michigan State, he made us turn in two copies of our poems. One he would read, the other he threw in a box outside his door. We would sit in a line outside his office writing comments on the poems and writing comments about other people's comments. It was an amazingly powerful experience.
Jim
re: ah the good old days
I can't help myself . . . Gee, that is a long, long time ago ;-)
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Charlie | cyberdash
Concern about off-campus students
I have a lot of respect for Lowe and Barton, but I wonder if their plan really takes into account the difficulty that commuter students might face. I wonder if perhaps following the bookmobile model that some public libraries have developed, and driving a vehicle of some sort through neighborhoods where students life, would help solve that problem. Or perhaps work-study students could walk around wearing sandwich boards, to visit adult students in their offices during working hours.
Can anyone tell me about their plans to implement a version of their experiment in Second Life?
Dennis G. Jerz
Jerz's Literacy Weblog
simulating virtual environments
Wow, thanks for the coverage, myspacefreak. I must admit, when Charlie and I started this project, I had my doubts. I didn't dare to dream that it would be so successful. Seeing your post literally brought tears to my eyes.
I might add that, as a future direction, Charlie and I are now experimenting with simulating virtual environments. The idea is to simulate the "chat space" by having our students greet each other, wear objects, and perform pre-programmed dance routines. So far, the response has been overwhelming. I personally saw two students "chatting" with each other in the hallway, smiling and even laughing. When I interviewed one afterwards, he replied that the experience was "so real" and that he actually felt as though he were "interacting with the 'other.'" I can't believe how far physical technology has come in so short a time. Who would have thought ten thousand years ago that such communication was even possible?
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Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.
Personalizing Appearances
How far did you get with your work on letting students personalize their appearance and costume? Is it having an effect on the simulated peer-to-peer interaction? I still think you shouldn't be so dismissive of the recent Scandinavian research about simulating telephone consultations with tin cans and string.
Dennis G. Jerz
Jerz's Literacy Weblog
Now, if only a non-proprietary model can be developed!
I, for one, would be very interested in an open source or freeware means of implementing this approach!
in a galaxy far away
I don't know if I want to date myself, but I turn 50 in a couple weeks. I'm almost in the same galaxy as Jim, almost.
bradley || bleckblog.org
easily remedied
I think maybe the U.S. Postal Service can help with the logistical concerns of getting books and xeroxed, or mimeographed copies out to students. In fact, maybe we should give each homebound student a mimeograph machine so they can distribute their work through the mail to classmates. Wouldn't that be interactive?
bradley || bleckblog.org
50? I'm assuming that's
50? I'm assuming that's AFD!
If it makes anyone feel better, I'll be 31 in August.
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Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.
AFD?
A Friggin' Death warrant? Wouldn't that be AFDW? A Fine Day? (I hope!). All Friggin' Done? Heck, I don't know AFD.
Still, I feel much better Matt, knowing you'll be 31 in August. Some people say that constitutes middle age. Just ask Abby Hoffman.
bradley || bleckblog.org
AFD
AFD = April fools day
Is that supposed to have an ' in it somewhere?
I think 31 is the new 13. Or maybe it's that 13 is the new 31. Oh, I give up.
p.s. ' ' ' and ' just in case.
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Check out Barton's gaming blog at Armchair Arcade.