The Virtual Environments module is now completed, ending with the culmination of the team project on the 21st of December where we performed the play at the Dublin amphitheater.
The success of the project as a team was not great. The main criticisms were that it was too short, we had not rehearsed enough and that it seemed like there wasn't enough communication in the lead up to the performance. I think that a team project, particularly one done through the internet, is never going to be a fair reflection of each of our contributions to the project.Through the internet, things get lost in translation, people can be left out of certain parts (I know that I missed out on a few important parts of the project because I didn't receive messages from the group on Facebook) and people are more likely to forget about meetings or anything else that's scheduled when it's on the internet. But, for people that were practically strangers three months ago and were doing everything through the internet, a medium where so much can go wrong, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. We didn't live up to the potential, but at the end of the day, we did enjoy ourselves and didn't take it as seriously as some of our critics!
With that said, most of the group, if not all, believed that their individual contributions were good enough. Everyone who made an effort to be involved had their own roles and, to the best of my knowledge, did what they were supposed to do. With my event management background, I did my best to advertise the show in various ways, including through Facebook and on various Second Life fan forums, as shown in my previous blog entry. I may not have been very successful in gathering a crowd, but I made an effort.
In my individual efforts, I also showed my understanding of various social networks online. I showed an understanding of how to advertise an event online, using means like Facebook and the forums. Since we are being graded on proof of our understanding of these social networks, their use and their potential, I'm hoping that I have done enough to succeed.
My overall impression on the module is quite positive. The idea of the module itself is exciting and unique and is an idea that should be implemented by other learning institutes in the future because the idea behind it is the future. When we live so many aspects of our life through the internet, why not educate through the internet? Our tutors were also very helpful, always replying to messages promptly and willing to lend a hand with our blog or assignments.
This has been an interesting and unforgettable experience for me from beginning to end and I'm hoping that the idea of virtual learning will be explored and expanded upon more in the future.
