Second Life is a very complex program. Even when I went to Brookens Media Lab to try it out it went incredibly slow. I was there for approximately two hours trying to figure out this new virtual world. After 30 minutes of walking my avatar around I figured out how to customize myself (that took about 45 minutes) and talked a little with other newbs (first timers). It was a confusing program for me, maybe because it was running so slowly but I felt like I made absolutely no progress in my two hours. I may go back and try it again and add to this post, but I just didn't get a lot out of it.
I suppose, if the classroom was equipped with computers that had little or no memory on them and a very advanced, high speed internet Second Life could be used in an instructive way. Today I used SL again and found it running a lot faster and I saw the potential for the program. As you mentioned in class, we could construct virtual classrooms and post information in places in SL itself. Like an online classroom we could communicate and view technology resources in cyberspace. This allows students to learn in a world with no limits, where they can feel comfortable with their appearance (since they decide what they look like) and provide a learning environment where the sky is the limit. People all around the world could visit the class and offer their own ideas and perspectives to the discussion.
Sarah:
ReplyDeleteI am glad you were able to experience the 2nd Life Virtual world.
You are thinking in terms of how this environment could be useful for students, especially teen agers. You are addressing the challenges of using 2nd Life in the K-12 classroom, as is usually the case with using any cutting edge technology initially. But, after much beta-testing and uses, risk-taking offers clarity to how this could be just one more tool in a classroom that has the appropriate computer system requirements.
There is a teenage component, allowing them to have an account. However, when they set up an account their age is verified and they are restricted to certain places in 2nd life. The beauty of using this to have an alternative 'classroom' however, is that those students would have to 'put themselves' in your class, to help fend out possible predators in this type of world.
My plans are that we will be re-visiting 2nd life in the TEP 305 class, if I am able to set up a classroom site on a borrowed island.
Dr. Herring