Globaloria
Encyclopedia
Globaloria is a social network for learning web-game design and simulation production. Invented by the World Wide Workshop Foundation in the spring of 2006, it seeks to create technology-based educational opportunities through a flexible set of virtual learning networks for students in developing nations, and economically disadvantaged and technologically underserved communities. Using a network of educational web 2.0
platforms, students develop 21st-century digital literacy, master social media
technology, and gain a deeper understanding of curricular areas, such as science
, mathematics
and health
. Its activities help students sharpen their communication and critical-thinking skills for leadership online and offline, bringing them closer to the participatory and collaborative nature of work in the 21st century.
approach to achieve its goals. Using Globaloria’s virtual network of educational tools and resources, students are encouraged to construct, interact and play to assist in their learning. Students conceptualize their ideas, construct their games and simulations, interact with peers for feedback and assistance, and play with their games and simulations to continue learning or to implement improvements.
/AIDS
, and malaria
. In the process of game and simulation making, students are able to dive into these issues that affect them and their communities while improving their 21st century skills. In the summer of 2008, the World Wide Workshop Foundation worked with 10 students (ranging from 10–17 years old) from the Rethink Camp of New Orleans. With MyHLife, the students worked together to create web games and simulations that advocated for a healthier cafeteria and healthier lifestyles in New Orleans Public Schools.
-Seed, the Foundation directed participants from around the world to focus on two topics – global climate and energy. While participating in the process of game and simulation creation, participants learn 21st century learning skills as well as climate and energy topics such as greenhouse gases and wave energy science.
, Benedum Foundation, Center for Professional Development for the State of West Virginia
(CPD) and other supporting organizations, the World Wide Workshop Foundation implemented a statewide pilot program that brought the Globaloria program into classrooms throughout West Virginia
. With a customized curriculum, training, and support programs developed by the World Wide Workshop Foundation, Globaloria game and simulation production classes were introduced to seven groups, representing middle schools, high schools, vocational schools and community colleges for grade and credit in June 2007.
, science
, math, human rights
, global issues — and the game the students build is created around that theme. An individual class or after-school group can form its own small community within a network, and can connect with other communities in that network. Each community receives a wiki
that serves as the community’s virtual classroom or clubhouse; there, the learners create profile pages and project pages, as well as use a step-by-step curriculum to learn to design and build a game to be published on the web. Each community also receives a starter-kit website with four learning channels, filled with such learning resources as sample games with downloadable codes and custom tutorials. Every participant in a community creates a blog
and reflects regularly on his or her game-making experience and learning accomplishments.
Through this immersive process of digital design and creation, young learners are able to master the new fundamental abilities to originate digital content, to write as well as read digitally, to express themselves in a networked community, to innovate and collaborate at once using social networks and social media
technology. The World Wide Workshop Foundation asserts that these are the very skills needed to be productive, successful 21st-century citizens.
believed that the Globaloria Program can help in this educational endeavor.
In August 2007, the World Wide Workshop Foundation began to implement the Globaloria Program statewide to West Virginia stimulate economic and social development, foster job creation, and position the state as a leader in 21st Century education. In its first pilot year, 89 students and 18 educators from seven learning institutions became the first participants to use the Globaloria-WV Program’s My Global Life network for learning to design educational web-games. In the second pilot year, which started in August 2008, Globaloria-WV more than doubled in size to over 250 participants. With the support of the State of West Virginia
, Benedum Foundation, and Verizon West Virginia, the World Wide Workshop plans to continue its growth and impact throughout West Virginia.
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
platforms, students develop 21st-century digital literacy, master social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
technology, and gain a deeper understanding of curricular areas, such as science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
. Its activities help students sharpen their communication and critical-thinking skills for leadership online and offline, bringing them closer to the participatory and collaborative nature of work in the 21st century.
GOAL
The World Wide Workshop Foundation seeks to achieve the following goals for individuals participating in the Globaloria program:- Develop participant’s 21st century skills such as digital creativity and innovation, virtual collaboration and team work, media technology and computer fluency.
- Increase participants digital literacy and engagement in open sourceOpen sourceThe term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
communities such as Wikis and Blogs: read/write, pull/push, surf/post, and receive/contribute. - Enhance participant’s cross-cultural understanding, self-determination and self-reliance.
- Encourage participant’s design and production of educational, socially conscious interactive games and simulations.
- Build and raise participant’s awareness and knowledge of curricular areas and issues of importance to their community (local, national and global) through choice and expression of game themes and narratives.
Philosophy
The Globaloria program uses a Constructionist LearningConstructionist learning
Constructionist learning is inspired by the constructivist theory that individual learners construct mental models to understand the world around them. However, constructionism holds that learning can happen most effectively when people are also active in making tangible objects in the real world...
approach to achieve its goals. Using Globaloria’s virtual network of educational tools and resources, students are encouraged to construct, interact and play to assist in their learning. Students conceptualize their ideas, construct their games and simulations, interact with peers for feedback and assistance, and play with their games and simulations to continue learning or to implement improvements.
Globaloria Platforms
The Globaloria Program is composed of multiple platforms, each of which has its own network, themes, and active communities. There are three operational network platforms that are being tested in the beta version: MyHLife, MySLife, and MyGLife. There are also three other social platforms that are under construction: MyRLife (MyHumanRightsLife), MyALife (MyArtLife), and MyMLife (MyMathLife).MyHLife
MyHLife (MyHealthLife) is an online platform within the Globaloria network that allow students to become the makers of interactive web games and simulations that focus on important health issues such as nutrition, exercise, HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. In the process of game and simulation making, students are able to dive into these issues that affect them and their communities while improving their 21st century skills. In the summer of 2008, the World Wide Workshop Foundation worked with 10 students (ranging from 10–17 years old) from the Rethink Camp of New Orleans. With MyHLife, the students worked together to create web games and simulations that advocated for a healthier cafeteria and healthier lifestyles in New Orleans Public Schools.
MySLife
MySLife (MyScienceLife) is an online platform within the Globaloria network that allows participants to become the makers of interactive web games and simulations that focuses on science. In the 2008 pilot year and in partnership with SchlumbergerSchlumberger
Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries...
-Seed, the Foundation directed participants from around the world to focus on two topics – global climate and energy. While participating in the process of game and simulation creation, participants learn 21st century learning skills as well as climate and energy topics such as greenhouse gases and wave energy science.
MyGLife
MyGLife (MyGlobalLife) is an online platform within the Globaloria network that allows participants to become makers of interactive web games and simulations that focuses on subject areas regarding math, science, history and social issues. In partnership with the Governor of West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Benedum Foundation, Center for Professional Development for the State of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
(CPD) and other supporting organizations, the World Wide Workshop Foundation implemented a statewide pilot program that brought the Globaloria program into classrooms throughout West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. With a customized curriculum, training, and support programs developed by the World Wide Workshop Foundation, Globaloria game and simulation production classes were introduced to seven groups, representing middle schools, high schools, vocational schools and community colleges for grade and credit in June 2007.
How Globaloria Works
Globaloria is the platform. On it are multiple social networks across which students learn to build games in a collaborative virtual community. Each network focuses on a theme — healthHealth
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, math, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, global issues — and the game the students build is created around that theme. An individual class or after-school group can form its own small community within a network, and can connect with other communities in that network. Each community receives a wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
that serves as the community’s virtual classroom or clubhouse; there, the learners create profile pages and project pages, as well as use a step-by-step curriculum to learn to design and build a game to be published on the web. Each community also receives a starter-kit website with four learning channels, filled with such learning resources as sample games with downloadable codes and custom tutorials. Every participant in a community creates a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
and reflects regularly on his or her game-making experience and learning accomplishments.
Through this immersive process of digital design and creation, young learners are able to master the new fundamental abilities to originate digital content, to write as well as read digitally, to express themselves in a networked community, to innovate and collaborate at once using social networks and social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
technology. The World Wide Workshop Foundation asserts that these are the very skills needed to be productive, successful 21st-century citizens.
Globaloria West Virginia
In July 2007, the governor and first lady of West Virginia were looking for an innovative technology program that would transform education throughout the state by using the latest Web technology and innovative content. Having heard of the World Wide Workshop Foundation, Governor Joe ManchinJoe Manchin
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
believed that the Globaloria Program can help in this educational endeavor.
In August 2007, the World Wide Workshop Foundation began to implement the Globaloria Program statewide to West Virginia stimulate economic and social development, foster job creation, and position the state as a leader in 21st Century education. In its first pilot year, 89 students and 18 educators from seven learning institutions became the first participants to use the Globaloria-WV Program’s My Global Life network for learning to design educational web-games. In the second pilot year, which started in August 2008, Globaloria-WV more than doubled in size to over 250 participants. With the support of the State of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Benedum Foundation, and Verizon West Virginia, the World Wide Workshop plans to continue its growth and impact throughout West Virginia.