Jase Teoh

Even if one had the world's best educational simulation, it is not clear that most pre-service teachers or formal schools would know what to do with them. Foreman (2003) proposed that to understand the future of learning, we should look beyond formal schools to the world of simulations because they present players with virtual worlds that if well constructed, such as Second Life, are not just about facts or isolated skills, but about learning by doing (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Dewey, 1938; Oblinger, 2004). Simulations have the potential to change the landscape of education---beyond the conventional academic disciplines toward a new model of learning as preparation for our post-industrial, technologically-rich world, and with the Net Generation. Therefore, it should prove instructive to see how pre-service teachers take up these potentialities when presented with Second Life, and how learning might shift as we imagine the possibilities of simulations for education.

"This paper discusses the use of educational drama as a critical pedagogical tool that can increase awareness of social justice issues in higher education. Much has been written about the effectiveness of utilizing drama in the k-12 setting but few researchers have examined how drama can play a role in social transformation at the tertiary level. Drama is an important pedagogical tool that can serve as a catalyst for a deeper understanding of concepts and culture through enactment, dialogue, and exploration which in turn allows students to take responsibility in their learning of social justice issues.
Keywords: social justice, educational drama, critical pedagogy, higher education, teaching and learning
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"An in-depth qualitative study with nine secondary pre-service teachers from an undergraduate Language and Literacy class was conducted to examine the potential of simulation using Second Life (SL) in teacher education. Games and simulations were operationally defined in the broadest sense to distinguish key characteristics between them. This study identified a number of ways (e.g. extra credit option, supplementary tool, and enhancement to teaching and learning) SL could be used as an educational tool to engage students in learning.
Keywords: Second Life, simulations, pre-service teachers, games, qualitative"

Simulations are a part of our social and cultural environment; some children grow up playing simulated online games and continue the practice throughout college. However, few educators are experimenting with simulations. Simulations might be used in schools and are particularly important for educators teaching subjects in the natural, physical, and sciences. This paper begins by defining what a simulation is, presents barrier that prevents educators from exploring simulations, argues for the potential of learning through simulations, introduce Second Life (Linden Lab, 2006) as an online simulation, and concludes by presenting implications for educators.