UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers and 3D technologies

As indicated by the recent report by the UNESCO ICT branch, there is an emerging broad consensus worldwide about the benefits that can be brought to school education through the appropriate use of evolving information and communication technologies. The range of possible benefits covers practically all areas of activity in which knowledge and communication play a critical role: from improved teaching and learning processes to better student outcomes, from increased student engagement to seamless communication with parents, and from school networking and twinning to more efficient management and monitoring within the school. However, the use of new technologies in education implies new teacher roles, new pedagogies and new approaches to teacher education. UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers framework is a good starting point for assessment of new teacher's knowledge, attitudes and practices. For this reason, a great contribution could be the inclusion of 3D educational virtual worlds or MMOL Platforms in this framework. Anyway, many of the curricular objectives could be achieved through the use of these technologies. The complete report is available on this URL: UNESCO.

3D learning in the Cloud

One of the most prevalent misconceptions about the use of e-learning is to reduce the technological approach to a list of non-updated resources. Education is the human and social driving force that can change, in a lasting way, the future of technology, the human knowledge.and the face of the world. For this reason is important for teacher and educational organization to anticipate emerging trends in educational technology arena. Thinking ahead: anticipating and putting in place follow-up and support before an educational activity may contribute to promoting the early adoption and implementation of new technologies. This approach will allow pioneer schools and universities to once again be competitive. In this sense cloud computing has a crucial influence on whether students and teachers take part in strategic projects for the future. One professional organization that takes an integrated approach to learning, including making use of the cloud, is the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). For example, the online learning section points users to cloud-based webinars or hosted events, including a mix of free and fee-based sessions. The Do-it-Yourself section uses the cloud to deliver curriculum for teachers to improve their knowledge and teaching skills. We should consequently ask the question when educational virtual world and MMOL Platforms might use cloud solutions. An interesting initiative is Meshmoon Rocket.