THE ZIRCUS CONCEPT SKETCH FOR A LEARNING-ENVIRONMENT AND ONLINE COMMUNITY

This paper describes premises of a video, Zircus, presenting a design for a virtual environment. The video is a basis for discussion-a sketc h, rather than a specification, of a virtual playspace and interaction s that can happen there. The playspace is conceived as a learning envi ronment in which constructive activities can focus thinking on certain sets of ideas. Conversations within the multiuser environment can als o be conducive to learning, as well as to developing an online communi ty. These actions and conversations would depend on a future system co mbining technologies in networked graphics, speech, Al, various input devices, and high-level software for constructing animations and audio /video sequences. Taking the ideas in Zircus from sketch to implementa tion will require contributions from researchers in a range of discipl ines, including architectural design, film media, learning theory, and computer science.