Education and the Internet

        Education with MUDs & MOOs

        Lee Bradley and Niall Harran

        So what are MUDs and MOOs?

        MUDs are Multiple-User Domains and MOOs are MUDs that are Object-Oriented. They are virtual reality areas where you can interact with other users and the environment via the typed word and the internet/telnet as well as your imagination. If you do not have one stop reading here!

        Apparently MUDs and MUD technology can be used for the purpose of education and have been used for about two years now. A scattering of educational MUDs (which we could not access) and lots of MOOs exist throughout the internet. We list some of them here.

        • bayMOO - mud.crl.com:8888. An environment that promotes constructivist learning theories and also studies non-hierarchical forms of organisation.
        • BioMOO - bioinfo.weizmann.ac.il:8888. BioMOO is a virtual meeting place for biologists, connected to the Globewide Network Academy. The main physical part of the BioMOO is located at the BioInformatics Unit of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.
        • Chiba MOO - http://sensemedia.net/about. A valuable example of how to mix images, text, sound and video in a shared environment.
        • CoVis - On the K-12 front, North-western University's CoVis provides a collaborative environment for scientists and science educators.
        • EON - muse@mcmuse.mc.maricopa.edu:23. An on-line educational site. Login as "muse".
        • MediaMOO - purple-crayon.media.mit.edu:8888. A professional community for media researchers. Application to join required.
        • The Painted Porch - maud.cariboo.bc.ca:4000. Open since June, 1994, the Painted Porch is used to teach on-line classes in philosophy. It is also the on-line home for ISIIT.
        • VIBES - cap.gwu.edu. ViBES (Virtual Interactive Blair Environment System) is set at Montgomery Blair High School (though you can leave to go to place in the DC area). Most activity centres around the computer labs or people's own areas. Access is open to all. You must first get an account on CapAccess. Dial 202-785-1523 or telnet cap.gwu.edu log: guest passwd:visitor. Once on cap, type go vibes to get to the vibes area. Dan Sandler is the account manager. dsandler@cap.gwu.edu
        • Waxweb - http://bug.village.virginia.edu Based on David Blair's electronic film, "Wax or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees."
        • WriteMUSH - Xerox for this one to find a collaborative information-retrieval system using gophers.
        • IT - This very new site doesn't do much yet, but it offers the promise of tutoring by email. Contact IT for details.
        • The Lambda MOO Project. This program, by Pavel Curtis, is a network-based programmable multi-user system.
        • MCMuse - Maricopa is a major gopher site for on-line education.

        The major problems we experienced are as follows:

        • They are mostly American! They are 6-8 hours behind so no one is around as well!
        • They are antisocial. They do not encourage communication between individuals unless there is a common problem.
        • Language. Usage requires the learning of various phrases, which are not always obvious or direct. For example to read a sign in a room you must type 'look', 'look sign' and then 'read sign'. If you do make a mistake it tells you 'I don't understand' and does not give suggestions as to how you can correct it!
        • Pitch. In some cases the site is not actually subject related and is well above the understanding of the children in a school. These sites are more University and professionally orientated.
        • Access. There are major problems getting connected about 80% of the time you can not gain access to the server.
        • Tutorials. These do exist but are time consuming, tedious and definitely not absorbing enough for school kids.
        • Other users! Although the servers claim to monitor access to the site there are still some weirdos in there. Some of these you do not want kids talking to, as we did not want to talk to them!
        • Booooooring!!!

        But there are some good points!

        • Computer literacy. If you do find a suitable site then it is an original method for promoting computer use. The more time they spend in front of the computer the more comfortable they will be with them.
        • Language. Once the terms have been learnt then they are fairly standard across all of the examples.
        • Foreign Language. There are some foreign language sites on specific subjects which require the use of key words in that language (Spanish, French & German but to name a few) unfortunately we could not understand them too well.
        • Format. The games-based format is suited to school children and students alike. It can be a challenge and fun if you like using your imagination.

        In conclusion Niall and myself (Lee) thought that MUDs and MOOs are ill-suited for our education needs in schools. If we had kids of our own (which we don't and the tests are being processed at this moment in time!) we would not want them accessing these areas. If you are weird and have nothing better to do then go ahead but if you are a teacher who would like to keep their job then stay well clear!

        October 1998

        Option Group Pages

        • Membership of this Group and Contacts
        • Sessions
        • Constructing Your Own Personal Homepage
        • Communication via the Internet
        • The Major Assignment
        • Online Netskills Interactive Course (TONIC, in UK) (Highly recommended for beginners)
        • Internet Trivia Quiz I
        • Internet Trivia Quiz II
        • Education and the Internet Links