iAlja has recently posted on her blog a paper she presented at the 3rd International Slovenian MoodleMoot, where she also offered a live demonstrated of Webline.lite, a way to add avatars on top of any Web site.

Her short paper – it runs at an efficient nine pages – gives an overview of virtual worlds, the applications of virtual worlds to education, and an overview of Moodle, an online learning management system, and Sloodle, an open source project that integrates a virtual world to an SMS. She concludes by writing that “virtual worlds can be a valuable tool for education, as they provide a unique and cost effective form or real-time interaction that can strengthen the relationships among online learners and provide unique immersive experiences,” but also noting they are “not a substitute for existing educational technologies, but rather an additional way to engage students in the learning process.”

Thanks to the wonders of Scribd, we are proud to embed iAlja’s paper right here for you to read. It’s easiest to click on the top right corner to toggle it to full screen, where you can navigate through her findings just like a Word doc.

Virtual worlds in education and Moodle