IVA Global Online School brings a unique and highly engaging 3D virtual school to South Africa.
John Luis, CEO and founder of IVA Global Online School, says that no one needs to wonder what the school of the future looks like anymore as IVA Global Online School is the school of the future, leading the way in progressive and effective online teaching and learning.
How do you create a school of the future?
This subject is one often discussed and written about. Some believe you must transform the learning environment while other say to focus on pedagogical change. “Changing the learning environment has proven to evoke the learner’s interest and ultimately increase engagement. The revolutionary 3D virtual learning world allows learners to see, experience and learn things that would otherwise not be possible,” says John Luis.
Learning environments
With decades of teaching experience, John Luis has always kept abreast of the educational landscape and has keenly followed and monitored how technology has impacted teaching and learning. “Ultimately what we are striving for is a learning environment that increases student engagement and transforms educational outcomes to align more closely with real- world expectations of school- leaving young adults,” he states.
In IVA’s 3D virtual learning spaces, students and teachers are represented by avatars walking through a school campus and taking up their seat of choice in a virtual classroom.
The design of classrooms varies from the traditional layout of desks and chairs within four walls, to the less conventional where students find themselves learning on a beach or even a roof top!
The virtual environment provides myriad ways in which to keep students engaged. For example, the furniture in a virtual environment can be altered by the click of a mouse and students find their collaborative learning spaces transformed into a lecture theatre in a matter of seconds. Not being restricted or limited by the laws of physical space, the virtual world encourages a greater level of student engagement.
Teachers can ask learners to break away in groups to do certain activities and groups can instantly teleport themselves to any part of the school. As a result, one lesson can take place at different places on the Isle of IVA, the name given to the school – an island in the middle of the ocean!
The virtual world allows the learners and teachers to have private conversations with other learners in an area of their choice, inside the virtual campus. “Often, I go for a ride in my speed boat with students for a one-on-one chat,” says John Luis. “We boat to a place in the middle of the ocean, have our conversation and then head back to the island when done.”
IVA Global School – The School of the Future
As technologies advance, we can expect that these 3D virtual online schools will continue to lead and transform the educational landscape. The world has changed, learning has changed, learners have changed – and IVA Global School anticipates, welcomes and leads educational change: The School of the Future.
