Which is why we dislike traditional education and were looking to do something better – we wanted to find a way to allow students to be creative, to explore, to create – while learning. In other words, we wanted to see students immerse themselves in the material in many different ways and learn through experiencing rather than through passive listening.

Immersive education is about immersing students in a rich, complex curriculum that allows them to learn by participating in a wide range of engaging activities. Of course, immersive education doesn’t have to be about technology!

There are many ways to immerse students, as many homeschooling parents know quite well. We immerse our children when we take them outside to the playground and allow them to throw a ball down the slide and see what happens (gravity!). We immerse our students when we let them build with blocks and find out which structures are stable and which are not. We immerse children in art when we take them to the museum, to the library and to the children’s theater.

There are countless ways to teach by immersion. Certainly one of them is using the wonderful tools that technology offers to immerse, experience, and create.

When kids use technology, and especially 3D technology to learn, they immerse themselves in their virtual surroundings. They get to play, create, discuss, collaborate and build, all while assuming a unique 3D personality via their avatar. The beauty of 3D immersive education is that it uses technology to free students from physical limitations such as location or special needs and allows them to truly immerse themselves in the material.

The physical world places limitations on what we can do or on how we can represent ourselves. Our age, gender, medical conditions, physical location and many more factors often dictate our activities and how others perceive us.

A virtual world lifts those limitations. It frees us from physical boundaries and enables us to truly tap into our imagination and our creative side and to express ourselves, freely and fearlessly. In fact, many disabled people report that joining a virtual world community, where they can represent themselves with a “healthy” avatar, makes them feel normal again. Elderly people who have discovered virtual reality also report that by using young-looking avatars, they get to feel young again.

This is not about deceiving or pretending to be someone you’re not. Virtual worlds are very much about being the best possible you – without the labels that physical reality often places on you.

When it comes to 3D virtual learning, there are of course boundaries that stem from the need to keep a safe, respectful learning environment. Those boundaries are carefully enforced. But as long as students are respectful, they get the same level of freedom that always comes when engaging in virtual reality – the freedom to set themselves free from labels. Students can create avatars that express who they really are, on the inside – not how the physical world perceives them. This is obviously an amazing experience for special need students, but in our experience, it is a dream come true for any child, and especially for teenagers.

Photo by Jim Sneddon

But we took online homeschooling a step farther and created a homeschooling program that immerses students in 3D educational virtual worlds.

A virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. Virtual worlds are not just for video games – they represent a powerful new media for instruction and education that presents many exciting opportunities for students, parents and educators.

A revolutionary new way to homeschool, 3D online homeschooling incorporates stimulating online 3D virtual reality world development in educational online homeschooling projects. Incorporating 3D virtual worlds into the learning process gives students a chance to think outside the box, to be creative, and to be challenged in their thinking. Instead of regurgitating facts or doing busy seat work, students create, explore, collaborate with other students, and enjoy every aspect of their online education. Unlike traditional learning, the word “boring” is simply never associated with virtual education.

3D online homeschooling is the polar opposite of traditional, passive schooling. It is active and fun and greatly enhances the online homeschooling learning process. 3D online homeschooling enhances problem-solving abilities, keeps students engaged, motivates them to excel and – most importantly – makes homeschooling fun, for the students and for their parents.

Photo by wmshc_kiwitayro

The best part of an immersive virtual learning environment is to see the doors of imagination blast wide open. To see students once again get excited about learning. We all remember our own traditional school education, and many of us not very fondly. The intense boredom, looking at the clock every 10 minutes, impatiently waiting for the bell to FINALLY ring, living for the weekend (and for recess) – how sad!

Learning is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be challenging and engaging and creative. Taking a bunch of kids and having them sit quietly in a classroom taking notes while a teacher lectures – this is NOT what education is about. Education is about being curious, asking questions, researching a subject because it tickles your imagination and creating your own worlds and characters and plays.

3D virtual education makes sure learning is all that, and more. It is never about being passive, quiet or restrained. On the contrary: while students at WiloStar3D are required to sign a Code of Conduct to ensure appropriate behavior is respected and upheld, and are supervised at all times while online, we love to see our students have fun and get excited about learning.

WiloStar3D students role-play historical characters, put on plays for other students, and create interactive games. Our creative approach to learning prompts students’ pursuit of connections among ideas and concepts. Students who frame questions and issues and then go about answering and analyzing them take responsibility for their own learning and become problem solvers and, perhaps more importantly, problem finders. Our students love going to school – we wouldn’t have it any other way.

That’s why WiloStar3D focuses on 3D virtual learning tools. 3D virtual education is fun and engaging. Our educational 3D worlds immerse and engage students in the same way that today’s best video games grab and keep the attention of players. The main difference is that our worlds are not a video game. Our fully accredited educational curricula and worlds have been carefully crafted and developed for k-12 students. Our entire educational program has been designed with students in mind.

3D virtual education can enrich any learning experience. For homeschooling families, it has the added benefit of helping the students avoid feelings of isolation. Students get that “really attending school” feeling by running around our 3D campus and assuming the identities of our highly expressive student avatars. They attend virtual classrooms and participate in group projects. They really do “go to school” every morning, and they love it.

While traditional education establishments have often resisted use of technology as part of the learning process, clinging to traditional teaching methods, it is our opinion that traditional education can and should coexist with 3D virtual education. Indeed, with technology and Web 2.0 becoming such an integral part of everyday life in the last decade, traditional schools are warming up to the idea of incorporating technology and immersive 3D learning into their curricula.

3D worlds can easily be incorporated into any curricula, immediately turning “boring” into “fun.” What better way to get our children excited about the process of learning and raise lifelong learners?