Three Dimensional Virtual Environments as a Tool for Development of Personal Learning Networks

Technological advances have altered how, where, when, and what information is created, presented and diffused in working and social environments as well as how learners interact with that information. Virtual worlds constitute an emerging realm for collaborative play, learning and work. This paper describes how virtual worlds provide a mechanism to facilitate the creation and development of Personal Learning Networks. This qualitative investigation focuses on the role of three-dimensional virtual environments (3DVEs) in the creation and development of Personal Learning Networks (PLNs). More specifically, this work investigates the reasons that drive members of Education Orientated Groups (hereafter “Groups”) in Second Life (SL), to adopt a technological innovation as a milieu of learning, the ways they use it and the types of learning that are occurring in it. The authors also discuss the collaborative and social characteristics of these environments which, provide access to excellence of a specific area of interest and promote innovative ideas on a global scale, through sharing educational resources and developing good educational practices without spatial and temporal constraints.