Should Second Life Be First on Our Agenda Now?

Posted on October 23, 2007 by Brian Douglas

These are exciting times to be working in the world of instructional technology, some would say daunting. Every day some new software product debuts and every week someone proclaims they have seen the future and x product is “it”. And, more often than not the product is cool, it has value, but does not radically shift our way of doing things. However, every once in awhile, though, there are quantum leaps forward. Some say that virtual world technology such as Second Life, is that leap.

Second Life is described as a three-dimensional online digital world imagined and created by its residents. The capacity for creative expression within the environment is truly astonishing. When you create your “avatar” it is as if you are given a chance to re-invent yourself entirely as you would like to be (at least for that session) rather than as you are. Of course, that moment of creation can thus pose many existential questions! Once inside Second Life, you can explore, create, build, communicate, share, you name it. There are really almost no limits. There is even a Second Life economy based on “Linden Dollars“.

Now cast your memory back to your high school or college days when you had to sit through long lectures and receive information that was pushed at you. Your only recourse was to write down notes as best you could. Now imagine that instead of just listening you learn by exploring, you enter the subject of your study and can investigate, guided and led by knowledgeable faculty and sharing experiences with your fellow students. You see the potential of these virtual worlds, don’t you?

Comments

2 Responses to “Should Second Life Be First on Our Agenda Now?”

Balance » UMassOnline Blog on November 2nd, 2007 8:31 am

[…] another post I talk about the exciting new developments in virtual world technology (Second Life). This […]
Mark G. on December 12th, 2007 10:24 am

The virtual world is a great concept and can be a great leap forward to make online classes more interactive. However, the technology needs to improve drastically.

For one thing it can be dreadfully slow (or “lag” as the Second Lifers call it) to navigate if there are too many logged in at once. One also needs a high speed internet connection and a computer with a lot of power and high end graphics card to use these “virtual worlds” with any success.

A few retailers, like Best Buy and Sears have made an attempt to set up virtual stores, with not very much success. That being said, the virtual world concept is definitely something that schools should explore to make online learning more interactive.

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