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APPENDIX
Glossary of Terms
3D environment: An application that facilitates the representation of (and perceived movement within) three spatial
dimensions (a term that includes 3D Virtual Worlds).
3D Virtual Worlds: Virtual Worlds are "online environments that have game-like immersion and social media functionality
without game-like goals or rules. At the heart is a sense of presence with others at the same time and in the same
place" (Constable 2008, n.p.); 3D implies a three dimensional representation. Examples include Second Life,
Croquet, Project Wonderland, Second Life, Twinity, and Habbo.
Avatar: A computer user's representation of himself/herself in the form of a two or three-dimensional model, as in computer
games or virtual worlds.
Concurrent Versions System (CVS): A collaborative tool used to store source code and keep track of modifications.
Constructionist paradigm: Paperts educational method that is similar to Piagets constructivist approach by placing students
as active participants in the learning process, and additionally emphasises the utility of a socially demonstrable
learning process (i.e., that students learning is enhanced when the outcomes are publicly viewable and are
shared/communicated with others; Ackermann, 2004).
Constructivist paradigm: Piagets developmental learning theory that emphasises the role of active knowledge generation by
the learners interaction with the environment (Ackermann, 2004).
Digital natives: A term describing the recent generations whose development is characterised by immersion in digital media
and communications technology (Prensky, 2001). A digital native is a person who is "Born Digital", that is one who
has grown up with digital technology such as computers, the Internet, mobile phones and MP3s. (from Wikipedia)
Generation Y: A phrase used to describe those born between about 1980-1994 who have grown up using Information
Communication Technology (McCrindle, 2006). Generation Y, also known as The Millennial Generation, is a term
used to describe the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are often referred to as Millennial.
Precise dates are disputed but Generation Y consists of those people born somewhere from the early 1980s to early
2000s, (from Wikipedia). See also (Palfrey and Gasser, 2008).
Immersion: The perception of being enveloped by, included in, and interacting with an environment that provides a
continuous stream of stimuli and experiences (Witmer and Singer, 1998, p. 227).
Information Communication Technology (ICT): A phrase that describes Information Systems by highlighting their dual
utilities of processing information and facilitating communication between entities.
Linden Scripting Language (LSL): A programming language in Second Life that is used to implement (inter)active objects.
The scripts (code fragments) are stored in the objects and are used to provide (inter)action with them. LSL is event
based and object oriented (i.e., the LSL instructions are called based on occuring events like the object is being
touched or receives a message).
Presence: The subjective experience of being in one place or environment, even when one is physically situated in another
(Witmer and Singer, 1998, p. 225).
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