Learning by Design
An Interview with Jeremy Koester By Joe Landsberger
Editor’s Note: At the beginning of this year, I began to investigate Second Life (SL), a “3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents,” and a “venue for collaboration, training, distance learning, new media studies and marketing” (see http://secondlife. com/). As I explored, I discovered the listserv for educators, and sent an email request for assistance (feeling a bit challenged by the 3-D environment and the need to create my own avatar.) This contact initiated a conversation with Jeremy Koester, an eighth grade math teacher and football coach at Alamo Heights Junior School in San Antonio, TX. Jeremy is also a graduate student in the Instructional Technology program at the University of Texas at San Antonio. An active SL participant, Jeremy Koester Jeremy says that “Jeremy Braver is who I am and vice versa”. challenges and learning differences. I subsequently went through an In this interview, Jeremy describes alternative certification program his use of technology in his classes and and moved to public school to teach describes his dream of advancing SL math. as a distance education environment. Joe: How would you describe your Joe: Welcome Jeremy. Can you students? provide us with a little background on how you got into teaching math? Jeremy: I have mostly Caucasian students with some Hispanic and Jeremy: I was teaching and African American students. In in administration at a Christian my district, there is quite a socioschool for learners with emotional economic disparity and a strong
TechTrends • July/August2007
overlap of minority students. These students are very well prepared as our district does a nice job setting a mathematical foundation for their future math learning. Joe: How would you describe their access to technology? Jeremy: We have several laptop carts that are available upon request. We also have access to a full desktop lab. We have wireless capabilities that support learning through technology. Joe: How about their use of technology? Let’s start with personal use. Is there much variation in skill level? Jeremy: Of course, there is always variance in skill level in any age group. Just like most others, I have seen more of a propensity or disposition towards the use of technology and desire to utilize those means while learning. Joe: How about educational access to and use of technology? Jeremy: Not many schools have unlimited, any-time, on-demand technological access. Much of this is due to the budgetary constraints and high stakes assessment that limits Volume 51, Number 4
the time and money invested in quality access for all students. Here in America we have one of the most amazing public educational systems in that we educate a significantly higher percentage of our population. The challenge with educational technology comes in many forms such as security issues and equal access. Joe: What technology do you use in your classroom? Jeremy: I use the Internet in my classroom often. We use a class response system for interactive questioning and review. We have laptops with wireless access which we have used for anything from utilizing the latest interactive math proof to a webquest for volume, perimeter and area. Joe: Does this present any problem for students, perhaps in completing homework?
Joe: What is your graduate program?
continues to pour forth. I believe in the value of gaming and its use in technology as a means of delivery. I am immersed in Second Life to this end as it has very low overhead and relatively minimal requirements to run. Joe: What sort of concluding project/experience will you undertake for your degree? Jeremy: I am working towards teaching an online course through SL. I am in some discussions with a few organizations to make this happen. I am very excited to lead groups of learners through the amazing learning environment that can be developed in SL.
“Students can model and share their prior knowledge, learn from other learners and show proficiency through physical representation and collaboration.”
Jeremy: As far as homework is concerned, not really. I take a very relaxed view on homework and value it for what it is worth. I typically use it as practice. I understand that some students don’t have computers or Internet access at home, which prevents me from assigning homework requiring such tasks. I do however plan for students to do projects on a longer term as we have access in the library on campus and in the community. Joe: Have your students any favorite learning object? Jeremy: That is hard to say. The boys tend to favor the more interactive sites with gaming and individualized interactivity, whereas the girls favor the group work with collaboration. Even within those criteria, individual students prefer different objects over others. Joe: Can you provide an example of each? Volume 51, Number 4
Jeremy: The students said that their two favorite sites were the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/ vlibrary.html) and Coolmath4kids (www.coolmath4kids.com/). The NLVM has many interactive objects that challenge the students to solve puzzles and riddles through different content mastery. The Coolmath4kids site has some non-educational games but also has applications for angles and trajectories and some that require problem solving skills.
Jeremy: I am in the Instructional Technology graduate program at the University of Texas in San Antonio. Joe: Have you found applications useful to your teaching, and for your students’ learning? Jeremy: Absolutely, my professors are very supportive of their students engaging in projects that benefit their own workplace. I have learned a great deal of not only relevant applications but have gained more depth into the theoretical side of learning. Joe: What is your schedule towards graduation? Jeremy: Lord willing, I’ll graduate in May of ’08. Joe: What sort of projects are you building for your portfolio? Jeremy: I have quite a bent towards gaming and learning objects. I have read much of the limited research that TechTrends • July/August 2007
Joe: Since we met through Second Life, tell us how you found SL?
Jeremy: I was initially exposed to SL through a conversation that I had with Marc Prensky (www. marcprensky.com/). I had some ideas about an open platform for immersive learning environments and he pointed me to SL. It took me about seven months to get into it, but finally last September, I made the plunge. Joe: What potential did SL offer for you? Jeremy: From the start, I saw that SL offered a platform for immersion. One of the first friends that I made was Hackshaven Harford of NOAA’s Meteroa Island. He taught me a myriad of skills to survive SL. Not to mention the fact that he demonstrated the physical power that SL has to offer. Now, I am working towards the immersive opportunities of gaming in SL. Of course, there is always the untapped resource of the learners’ imaginations. SL is a place where students can explore not only places and environments that they otherwise would not have been able to, but also create places that exist only
in their mind. To me, this provides an opportunity for constructivist applications. Students can model and share their prior knowledge, learn from other learners and show proficiency through physical representation and collaboration. Joe: What sort of communities have you found in SL? Jeremy: I have found three major communities in SL – gaming (role playing, video games), social (dancing, sexuality, spirituality) and educational (courses, conferences, seminars). I am working exclusively in the educational realm in an attempt to blend the pedagogy offered through gaming in role playing and motivational applications. Joe: How do you communicate within? Does SL have chat rooms?
Jeremy: I have started two organizations in SL to date. I have started a community of practice called ‘Gaming and Learning in SL’. This is a group of individuals who are interested in utilizing and pursuing gaming for learning and training purposes in SL. Anyone can join the group at http://groups.google.com/ group/gaming-and-learning-in-sl. The other organization that I am working towards is an educational development company. I have connected with many educators in SL and have developed a
Jeremy: Have a purpose for exploration in SL. Many individuals have given SL a bad report due to their lack of direction. There are many places that are inappropriate in SL, but there are just as many that have a great purpose and enrich humanity globally. Ask lots of questions. Make lots of friends. Stay away from places that you wouldn’t want to take your grandmother. Joe: How do you balance teaching, graduate school, entrepreneurship, family? Jeremy: It’s not easy. I keep a very rigid schedule which allows me strict timeframes to invest only so much time into any one of them. Obviously things change, so my heart is that my family comes first. When I need to invest myself and my time in my wife and children, I try to let go of the demands and opportunities of SL as my family is much more important to me.
“I have connected with many educators in SL and have developed a great working relationship with those who have a similar heart for gaming and learning in SL.”
Jeremy: Communication is a very key skill in SL. There are not any chat rooms per se. At least, not what people would consider chat rooms. Right now, the chief means of communication in SL is through text. You can chat with those within a 20 meter radius of your avatar or you can send an instant message to anyone in world. Another unique SL application for communication is through groups. Groups offer the chance to hold group-wide instant messages (look just like modern day chat rooms) or they can send notices of events or important information. Communication is huge in SL and offers us unparalleled means to collaborate. Joe: You are interested in developing businesses in SL? What services would you offer?
great working relationship with those who have a similar heart for gaming and learning in SL. Joe: What experience should teachers have before exploring SL use for their classrooms? Jeremy: Obviously any online experience would be beneficial. I would like to emphasize that SL provides the structure for any educator to enter into SL and be successful if they have two key perspectives. The first would be the humility to ask questions and be open to befriend anyone regardless of age, position, race, creed, religion, or species (I am a fox in SL).The second one would be to have the heart of a true life long learner and the ability to learn from any of these new friends.
Joe: Does your wife share your love of technology? How about the children? Jeremy: My wife shares my love of technology as long as I’m the one dealing with it. She is my polar opposite. She keeps me grounded and focused. I wouldn’t be who I am today without my wife. My children enjoy technology, but most of our time at home is spent playing and spending time together. Joe: Thank you, Jeremy. Jeremy: Thanks opportunity, Joe.
for
this
Joe: What advice would you have for someone getting started?
TechTrends • July/August2007
Volume 51, Number 4
