I found Second Life an uncomfortable platform for learning. It would take students some time getting familiar with the format of the world and how to do what they wanted to do. I see this as a replacement for the personal interaction that can be obtained in most learning environments.
When doing research on Second Life for this project something came up that I found very interesting. Some global companies are using Second Life as a meeting place for people in different locations working on the same project. I am going to link to an article about IBM's use of the platform. New employees are trained on Second Life as part of the general new hire training. This ensures that they can navigate through meetings and other work environments without looking awkward. This gives the co-workers that personal connection to one another. This is necessary in some company were co-workers never meet.
About a month ago my husband and I along with a group of friends saw an exhibit at the Nelson Adkins Museum in Kansas City, RMB City Opera. It is very controversial and in some scenes pornographic. The exhibit is the cross or difference in the cyber world and the real world. It touches some of the issues that come about when people portray themselves online as someone they are not. Below is a link to the article about the exhibit.
I personally don't see Second Life as anything I would use in education. There are so many other things you can do to connect learners that are more comfortable to the greater public. I am a little silly and took a picture of myself making muscles by the UCM flag. If you can't have fun in life...........
I agree. There are so many other things that you could do without the risk of students ending up somewhere they shouldn't be.
ReplyDeleteSL might not be for everyone, but there is enough active users to make it a viable option if the right conditions exist. My biggest issue has always been tackling the exploring by myself and not getting a real sense of direction. If I could do this in a classroom and had more support, it might not be so bad. To project certain areas with a class would be cool, just to let them see the possibilities.
ReplyDeleteLove your picture! I can't see myself using Second Life in the classroom either. Would you think about using a different virtual world, more suited for younger students?
ReplyDeleteI like your jacket ...but...your butt is hanging out of your jeans...LOLO
ReplyDeleteWere you showing off your muscles in the picture? :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard about IBM using SL in this way. While I think it can do some good, it's still so clumsy compared to some other video games. The graphics are so nice in those games! But, for a free application with the option to purchase more, it's not bad but do wish the purchased piece were nicer!
Savitri, I was playing around with the movements and just thought the muscles ones was just really silly. Why would you want to do muscle posses? Much of this virtual world I do find just too silly. Maybe I am just too practical.
ReplyDeleteTrac, don't know why my butt is so big! Maybe it's all this setting at my computer time:)