Second Life?

Anyone have a Second Life yet? What's so compelling about Second Life anyway? Is this the dawn of Web 3.0? What are the implications for education? Any great SL resources out there?

My avatar's name is Lucy Daffodil if you're looking for a friend there!

Lucy Gray

Tags: life, virtualworlds, Second_Life, secon, second

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Permalink Reply by Carol Rainbow on July 2, 2008 at 12:13am

Hi
I spend a lot of time in Sl and love it. I am taking Spanish lessons there at the moment - buying food from virtual supermarkets, banking at virtual banks, booking into virutal hotels, catching buses, taking taxis, etc! All the sort of things I would do when in Spain and with Spanish speaking teachers. Poeple from all over are on the same course, we do not share a native language.

I have visted the Globe and watched a play, the Met and listened to music, visted various wonderful cities, seen lessons on astronomy with model planets. Walked through molecules, played with proteins.

I have heard of Moby but not been to look for him.
I have done quests - great fun, visited Dante's Inferno, walked around in Picasso's Stary Night, played in an area that demonstrates most effectively Gardiner's Multiple Intelligences... and so much more!

I have started to take it for granted - until I read posts like these... then realise why it is such an important part of my life :-)

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Permalink Reply by Jonathon Richter on March 27, 2007 at 3:29pm

Yah! I'm in Second Life... name is WainBrave Bernal.

I believe Multi-User Virtual Environments like SL, River City, and There are the beginnings of a "killer app" in EdTech, though there are many out there that disagree. The content WILL get built as educators figure out the level of sophistication and skills necessary to create compelling content (even while it's easy to do the sex, violence, and fantastical). Great educational roleplaying games will come (and are). Great simulations will arrive (and are). The new Rennaissance Island, Rome, and others will follow.

The implications for education? Immersive, motivating, self-directed learning is ever-more possible. We need to continue to develop the "Pattern Language" that will allow us to turn these open 3D environments into compelling learning environments.

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Permalink Reply by nlowell on March 27, 2007 at 4:45pm

I think they're already compelling learning environments, Johnathon.

The problem is in controlling the learning -- but that's *always* been a problem. It's the problem with sending kids to school from the git-go. They always learn stuff you wish they hadn't and they rarely learn the things you want them to.

One of the interesting questions is, Can we subvert the environment in such a way that we don't sacrifice the "compelling learning" on the altar of Education?

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Permalink Reply by Sharon Betts on July 29, 2007 at 2:09pm

I wonder if we should "control learning"? Mentoring, directing and collaborating may help nudge the students in the right directions. As exciting as SL seems to be, I can't help but think that it is just a baby-step into the future of "learning worlds".

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Jarrett on March 30, 2007 at 2:40am

Wainbave,

Nice meeting you at your talk at the ISTE SkyPark the other day.

You are absolutely right, we are at the very beginning of an enormous user-driven revolution, and while it's not for everyone. If I did not have funding for my project, I would not be in SL at the level I am now. I was already too busy with RL to comprehend how I'd find the time. Now I'm finding time I didn't know I had, just to explore, network, and connect with others, but honestly, suffering in the process. :( They don't call it 'bleeding edge' for nothing...

-kj-

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Parsons on March 27, 2007 at 4:47pm

Well, I'm going to be the loner here who doesn't have an SL account, though I'm aware of what it can do. I think the flaws that Chris pointed out are possibly why it hasn't caught on in a major way yet. This is a shame, given the potential I've seen by MUVEs and similar programs to be effective tools, especially for distance students.

I've never heard of Elluminate; for those of you who haven't either, I found its web brocchure here.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon Betts on March 27, 2007 at 5:09pm

I have a second life - but my first life got in the way and I never find time to login. I also tried out TappedIn when working with Webheads this winter. I seem to have a bad case of FMS - Fear of Missing Something....

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Permalink Reply by Susan van Gelder on March 28, 2007 at 6:32pm

I have a 2nd Life too - but am finding it hard to find time for my first life, so SL is on standby. I am intrigued by it, but agree with Jennifer about needing an educational version. Haven't been there in a while. I may have more time in a few weeks to go back and explore.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Parsons on March 28, 2007 at 8:33pm

In response to Susan, I would certainly say that the desire is out there. The success of the River City Project is an example of how effective this technology can be, when used correctly.

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Permalink Reply by Cathy Rodriguez on March 28, 2007 at 8:49pm

Hello, I have a second life...my avatar's name is Ceni Capalini. In my first life I am a teacher and consultant for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. I am just beginning to explore the potential of SL --and I am finding that there are some promising projects that have emerged ...one is SLOODLE (Second Life Moodle) in developing stages, Moodle is a course development Open Source software that allows you to build courses (they tell me Moodle is similar to Blackboard, except it is free)...add the SL environment and seems promising. Inside SL is education island, which I have not visited, but plan to explore to find out what educators are doing there...anyone know?
There is a project out of Modesto City Schools...the district bought an island and students are building their own community in collaboration with students from Japan...Japanese students are studying English --American students are studying Japanese...what is really compelling about this project is that it has full support of the school district.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Jarrett on March 30, 2007 at 2:33am

Hi Cathy! Look me up in-world sometime.

You probably have this but for everyone else, here's info on SLoodle:

http://www.sloodle.com/

You can get to EduIsland via this SLURL:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Iukekini%20Island/164/220/358

Just click it and if you have SL installed you can click one more time to get to EduIsland.

There is a new EduIsland II now with land available for purchase or rent:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%20II/72/153/21

The Pacific Rim Exchange is an SL incarnation of a program that has existed for years. Kids use SL to learn about each other and another culture before they actually do the "airport meeting," resulting in faster acclimatization and development of deeper bonds. Here's the blog:

http://pacificrimx.wordpress.com/

Peace!

-kj-