Zach – Second Life has merit has a tool for distance learning; especially with how it can bring different concepts to life and actually moving such as cellular biology, chemistry, and geology. However, Second Life is only suitable for educational purposes with strong buy-in from all parties included. A lukewarm approach to Second Life by everyone involved will cause the learning process to be hindered.
Wendy – I was a little skeptical of Second Life at first because of the areas that are not educationally based. However, as I explored the worlds, I noticed that there are lots of areas within the site that are specifically geared towards educational purposes. The site is set up to easily allow the transfer of information from one party to another. This makes it ideal for educational purposes. A case could be made to compare Second Life to the Wiki pages. The general public builds worlds similar to people who build information in a wiki. If information is incorrect in a wiki, others can make edits or suggest improvements. In the same way, people can make additions or enhancements to worlds that are made to resemble real places. It is a great crowd-source feature.
As more and more universities are studying virtual worlds like Second Life and doing research on it’s positive attributes, we are seeing actual courses hosted within the site. The more I explore Second Life the more I realize that the platform is open for a reason. Even though everyone present is not there for educational purposes, they are all making contributions to the environment that can then be used in a variety of ways. It is not difficult to find areas that are not “social” in nature and thus minimize unwanted interactions. There is also excellent documentation from Linden Labs on the various educational areas of the site, making it easy to find reliable and well-constructed areas for educational purposes.
Emily – Second life can be an amazing tool for education. There are so many islands that do a great job of using this space as an E-learning environment with educational information, interactive tools, and segmentation of elaborate topics. Concepts can go far beyond what you can find in real life; floating DNA helix’s, expensive artwork, and a meeting space for people with a common educational interest. I can see myself using this as a medium for providing interactive examples of situation related to my field.
Heather- Having never used a resource like second life before, I was really impressed with the potential it has for providing distance learning for university level students. The ability to not only use the existing islands for topics such as Genetics, Space Exploration, and History but also the option to build your own unique worlds to fit your needs is incredibly unique. This is a great place to have classes meet to discuss topics together virtually as well as a place to have students explore new topics on their own or in groups.
Eric- My experience in Second Life has been quite revealing. I like the idea of navigating a virtual 3-D world via a custom avatar that represents yourself. Being enrolled in a distance learning graduate program through UTRGV, Second Life has given me a chance to meet and interact with other people. UTRGV’s Educational Technology Department’s online version of their campus has taught me new skills, which has enabled me to work together with other students on projects.
Educational Technology’s use of Second Life opens a whole range of possibilities for learners. The environment allows the learner to work synchronously and then return to asynchronous learning—the modeling and data visualization of Second Life aids with understanding, and, most importantly, retention. While the immersive environments are many, Second Life provides meaningful and memorable experiences. What we may lose in face-to-face meet up’s, we may be able to make up by being in second Life while being anywhere in the world.
Second Life’s role in educational institutions has prepared me to undertake learning opportunities that developed communication and engagement. I was able to participate as a way of learning how this environment could be useful beyond the traditional learning spaces. I believe that a virtual world like Second Life offers a new learning model of experience with an emphasis on collaboration.
EdTech Explorers 