MUNDOS VIRTUALES: UNA SOLUCIÓN A LA ENSEÑANZA EN ESCUELAS HOSPITALARIAS

Abstract

Current paradigms of education are no longersufficient in the sense of including all existing students andtheir different realities. Nowadays, students who cannotattend traditional classes due to specific diseases that keepthem bedridden in a hospital or at home are excluded fromthe educational system. Hospital schools try to deal with thisproblem, but they do not have a methodology to facilitateteaching process in this scenario. The proposed solutioncombines two technologies, which are 3D Virtual Worlds,and Moodle LMS, creating a combined virtual learningenvironment, and extracting the best of both technologies.We tested this solution with a group of children who havespent years bedridden at home. The results were astoundingfrom the perspective of learning as well as in social andpsychological aspects, since it was the first time that thesechildren could feel part of a class group interacting in avirtual world.Index Terms ⎯ Virtual worlds, 3D systems, blendedlearning, e-learning.