![]() ![]() ![]() A "constructionist" approach to use of the Internet makes particularly good use of its educational potential. This thesis argues that the Internet can be used not just as a conduit for information, but as a context for learning through community-supported collaborative construction. In research about the Internet, too much attention is paid to its ability to provide access to information. The focus is on engaging classroom culture and relevant aspects of student life to inspire participation consistent with social commitments and educational goals interpreted locally. This work sits at the intersection of education, entertainment, and social commitment and suggests an expansive focus for instructional designers. Our work has involved an agenda and process that may be called socially-responsive design, which involves building sociotechnical structures that engage with and potentially transform individuals and their contexts of participation. It allows users at participating elementary schools and after-school centers to travel through virtual spaces to perform educational activities, talk with other users and mentors, and build virtual personae. QA combines strategies used in commercial gaming environments with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. ![]() This article describes the Quest Atlantis (QA) project, a learning and teaching project that employs a multiuser, virtual environment to immerse children, ages 9-12, in educational tasks. ![]()
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