Second LifeThis is a featured page


Author: Prashanthi Selvanarayanan

80 percent of active Internet users will participate in virtual environments by 2011, predicts Gartner, an information technology research company.

Introduction


Second Life(SL) is a user-generated 3D virtual environment that is simple to learn and use. Second life offers an unstructured atmosphere and wide-open spaces where student creativity can grow and flourish. This simple to use, interpersonal and developing media provides a truly experiential opportunity to the learners.

Its strengths as an educational tool lie in:
  • stimulating learning while providing an authentic experience.
  • allowing complex and realistic scenarios to be visualized.
  • engaging students to actively participate in the virtual world rather than be a passive participant.

SL in education

A good presentation of Second Life in 3600 seconds.

Introducing Second Life to K 12 Educators

Teen second life (TSL) is a subset of Second Life reserved for teenagers, and is only accessible to those ages 13- 17.
Following very specific guidelines and restrictions, education institutions are able to purchase islands on the teen grid for instructional purposes. The educational projects in Teen Second Life fall into two categories; those that are accessible to all residents of Teen Second Life (public projects), and those accessible to teens associated with a particular project in 'real life' (private projects). These private projects are most often inaccessible to Teen Second Life residents.

Examples of educational virtual locations in SL


  • Suffern Middle School in SL! - Suffern Middle School, a high-performing school in Suffern,NY with a presence in the Teen Grid area of Second Life. Suffern has maintained a private learning environment there since August 2006.
  • Kidz connect – Kidz Connect offers a series of collaborative workshops for young people in multiple locations, teaching them to connect and work together via performance, storytelling and collaboration by theatrical and digital means. It is a project of Zoom Labs.
  • The PacRimX islands – It is an intercultural exchange program between high school students in the Modesto City Schools in Modesto, California and students at their sister school in Kyoto, Japan, the Kyoto Gakuen High School that is part of the Pacific Rim Exchange program. Global kids - a New York-based nonprofit organization that teaches leadership, citizenship, and learning skills to urban youth that has a huge presence in SL.
  • EdtechIsland – A place in SL that provides free resource for all teachers, graduate courses and workshops. It is offered by Boise State University. Watch a video describing the Edtech Island.
  • A great presentation by Lisa Dawley about the growth of Edtech Island in SL.
  • Introduction to second life and a tour of the virtual Texas State University campus.

Getting started in SL


Get a (Second) Life!
Its free to sign-up.
1. Go to the SL Web site,
2. Choose a Resident name for yourself
3. Download and install the software.
4. Ensure all technical prerequisites are in place -- primarily a broadband Internet connection and a powerful 3-D graphics card
5. Start with a list of Residents to talk with and educational sites to visit once you're there.

More on how to use SL:


Science Projects in Second life
Video tutorials on Second Life - Basics

In Education:


“The ability to build 3-D objects collaboratively and in real time with others in the same world has enormous potential for teaching building, design, and art principles. Because Second Life is a rough simulation of the natural world, with meteorological and gravitational systems, the possibilities of experimenting with natural and physical sciences are endless. Meanwhile, the ability to interact with people from all over the globe enables political and cultural exchange and research in a safe and controlled environment.” - Wagner James Au, an "embedded journalist"and a first-hand reporter from Second Life.



Additional Resources


Top 20 Educational locations in second life
Second Life PLC for k-12 educators
SLurl – A location based linking in Second life/ Second life’s google earth!


Organizations for Professional Development in SL



Extended Learning


Moodle + Second Life = Sloodle
Kevin Jarrett’s exploration of Second life for K-10 educators


References:


An overview of SL by
Lindsay Oishi in Teach&Learning
Linda Briggs article on how to integrate SL into schools in The Journal
Looking at pedagogy in the virtual world by Wagner James Au in Edutopia
A list of educational projects on Teen Grid of Second Life by Barry Joesph


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