The virtual birthing unit project/Show and tell

''This lesson should take around 60 minutes and is appropriate for junior midwifery students, as well as anyone interested in childbirth. You will have a look at the virtual birthing unit in Second Life and write about your thoughts in the Facebook Group called "Birth, Environment and Second Life". This activity is designed to generate discussion about birth, birthing environment and Second Life. This will be open to anyone who is a member of the "Birth, Environment and Second Life" Facebook group.''

Resources

 * Computer and Internet with access to Second Life and Facebook
 * Basic ability to use Second Life and access the virtual birth unit http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kowhai/82/213/35/
 * Extra resources to support this lesson either as links or printed handouts:
 * Freedom of movement in birth places By Bianca Lepori 1994.
 * Birth territory and midwifery guardianship. Edited by In K. Fahy, M. Foureur & C. Hastie. Published by Edinburgh: Elsevier in 2008. Refer to: Mindbodyspirit architecture: creating birth space (pp 95-112) By Lepori, B, Foureur, M., & Hastie, C.
 * Concepts of birth unit design By Sarah Stewart 2009.
 * Midwives and the working environment By Sarah Stewart 2009.

Learning objectives

 * 1) Demonstrate an understanding of childbirth as a normal life event which occurs within diverse social and cultural contexts.
 * 2) Discuss the impact of the underpinning philosophies of midwifery on the childbirth experiences of women and the development of midwifery knowledge.

Activity
1. Go to the Facebook group "Birth, birth environment and Second Life". If you are not a member of the group, please request to join.

2. Answer this question in the Discussion Board: How important is the environment to women and their families when they give birth?

3. Explore the virtual birth unit. Click on the objects and look at the signs that tell you how the birth unit has been designed and why it includes the features in the way it does.

4. Go back to the Facebook group "Birth, birth environment and Second Life". Answer these questions on the Discussion Board:
 * What features did you see in the birth unit?
 * What were you surprised to see and why?
 * What would you have expected to see in the birth unit that were not included?

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