Inst. sim laboratory opens a new virtual world for education - Greenville News

A new laboratory at the University allows teachers to experiment with virtual worlds to develop new applications for education.

Entrepreneurs and corporate trainers can also use SimHub, and no one has to worry about bandwidth constraints because the laboratory is connected to the Internet at the speed of flames of 100 gigabits per second.

SimHub provides three-dimensional, digital universe benefiting users of Second Life and World of Warcraft public portals and as Director of laboratory and Stephen Bronack waits will be commonplace on the World Wide Web in three to five years.

?The manufacturing protocols which are being developed today, ?, he said.

Bronack, a Professor of Clemson University with a Ph.d. in educational technology, said SimHub is designed to provide a reassuring for people to experiment with virtual worlds and other ?immersive? technologies, particularly the older generation of ?digital immigrants?, not triggered on videogames like the young native environment ?digital ?

?If, we can do that effectively, then people will begin to look beyond technology and focus on the task at hand, ? said. ?That of really where the effect is. ?

Use of technology creates virtual classrooms where teachers and students can gather in the form of digital avatars. They can speak or send messages to each other and share and manipulate electronic documents while in the same location in cyberspace.

This is different from the students doing assignments on their time in commonly available by programs such as Blackboard online classes. These lower-tech courses can be insulated and offer ?serendipitous? which are possible in the virtual worlds, said Bronack learning system.

Virtual worlds ?What can do is to be together when we separated, which no other technology has allowed us to this point, and that is why it is imperative, ? Bronack.

In a virtual world, ?You feel this with others, ? said Helen Landmesser, SimHub project manager. ?Even if you are just in different places, you feel like you are present with them and you can interact to feel real and develop real relationships with other people. ?

(2 of 2)

The Centre of the University, a consortium of seven universities based in the Centre McAlister along the promenade Pleasantburg encourages teachers to experiment with the technology available at SimHub. They are grouped into four categories: simulations, virtual worlds, augmented reality, and serious games.

In one experiment, a Professor of nursing created a virtual house integrated with lead paint coat health hazards. Digital tool has been designed to prepare students for the real-life home visits.

Another involved experience digitally reproduce a village at the Kenya teaching tour guided to a class of tourism management.

Tim Ellis, who teaches management engineering technology for the District of the University of South Carolina stated that it provides a virtual factory where students can measure machines or verify the safety of workers. It would allow students to practice realistic problems without having to visit a real factory, he said.

?But will require a bit of good work to achieve this, ? Ellis said.

This past fall, Ellis has created a virtual classroom and gave students an opportunity to attend a weekly class inside or in an actual class at the University.

Students live in all Union Cowpens Anderson district and most of them have worked. Half have chosen the virtual classroom.

?So if they had a drive from 30 minutes to Greenville, which saves at least one hour per day, ? Ellis said.

A group must find useful SimHub is corporate trainers said Greenville consultant Phillip McCreight, Vice President of technology for North chapter of the American Society for training and Development.

McCreight said companies are reluctant to invest in new technologies, so that their value is certain. SimHub enables them to experiment with the technology without having to make a monetary commitment.

?It as a sandbox, ? McCreight said. ?We play you in the sandbox, just try it out and see what works and does work. ?

McCreight says companies can save meeting travel costs virtually rather than in the real world.

?You can make a team building exercise for a virtual with scattered everywhere people world ? domestically, he said.

Scarce bandwidth SimHub comes courtesy of the Internet2 network operated by a consortium of universities and research organizations, including the Clemson University in South Carolina.

View the original article here