Educational Technology Innovation and Impact/Edutainment/Second Life (educational applications)

Second Life
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world and has been available online since 2003. Since then it has become “inhabited” by nearly 100,000 people from around the globe. ( Second Life, 2006). The “world” is a simulation that provides a unique and flexible environment for educators interested in distance learning, computer supported cooperative work, simulation, new media studies, and corporate training and provides an opportunity to use simulation in a safe environment to enhance experiential learning, allowing individuals to practice skills, try new ideas, and learn from their mistakes. The ability to prepare for similar real-world experiences by using Second Life as a simulation has unlimited potential. It is in this manner that it can be likened to the popular games series such as “The Sims” and “SimCity”, but instead of a person on a machine, this environment interacts with other people playing the same game across the globe. It is the accessibility of Second Life that allows students and educators to work together from anywhere in the world as part of a globally networked virtual classroom environment.

According to the entry for Second life in Wikipedia (2006) It has been claimed that Second Life, and several other virtual worlds, have been inspired by the science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Indeed, the stated goal of Linden Lab was to create a world like the metaverse described in Snow Crash: a user-defined world of general use in which people can interact, play, do business, and otherwise communicate.

It is popular and successful simulation games such as “The Sims” though that ensure that the majority of students have had some experience with simulation games. On the whole, these games, or environments, represent active, immersive learning environments where users integrate information to solve a problem. Learning in this manner incorporates discovery, analysis, interpretation, and performance as well as physical and mental activity, which gives the educational content required for students and teachers alike. It is these features within Second Life that attract educators and students alike.

There are many options for Educators in Second Life, as well as having its own economy, market place and variety of building tools, you can also create a secure internal area, called “Private Islands” that restrict membership and thus only allow access to those who require it. Those with access to private areas can still access those areas deemed “Public land” and thereby interact with all the Residents of Second Life. It is by being able to have an “internal” and external area within the world-wide virtual world which make it an ideal environment for educators and students to come together and promote learning.

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References:

Second Life (2006) What is Second Life? [On-line] Available:http://secondlife.com/whatis/ Accessed: 7 May 2006

Wikipedia (2006) Second Life as the Metaverse [On-line] Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life Accessed: 7 May 2006

Bibliography

Antonacci D M, Modaress N (2005) Second Life: The Educational Possibilities of a Massively Multiplayer Virtual World (MMVW) [On-line] Available:http://www2.kumc.edu/netlearning/SLEDUCAUSESW2005/SLPresentationOutline.htm Accessed: 7 May 2006

Linden Labs (2006) Second Life: [On-line] Available: http://lindenlab.com/ Accessed: 7 May 2006

Second Life (2006) What is Second Life: Economy [On-line] Available: http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy.php Accessed: 7 May 2006

Second Life Herald(2006) News Archives [On-line] Available: http://www.secondlifeherald.com/ Accessed: 7 May 2006