Summary:
This article takes a peek at the educational aspect of Second Life (SL). Whereas businesses left a short time after joining, education in Second Life hasn't left the scene. As such, land purchase is a common thing amongst Universities such as Harvard, Texas State, and Stanford for educational purposes. Teachers around the globe take advantage of tools in-world and outside (which is brought into SL) to share and utilize inside virtual classrooms. Educators collaborate and share ideas to which is then shared inside their real life classrooms. Once members join (aka "residents"), they will find a wide array of anything anyone could possibly imagine that may or may not relate to real life. Whether it is designing structures and applying it in real world, or teaching a second language to another part of the world, Second Life offers educational opportunities to teach others about anything they want to learn.Educators offer opportunities to learn to build, create, design, collaborate, communicate, and share their talents which gives others a chance to literally have a second life inside Second Life itself. One such group that teaches multiple facets of anything and everything is Second Life Education (SLED). It is a group of teachers who share their knowledge and talents with others around the world, so they, the residents may build on their individual knowledge and skills in learning.
My Opinion:
I am a member in the SLED group and have attended meetings and visited lands relating to the educational realm. I have taught several classes on how to navigate around Second Life. I have also served as a tourist guide a few times to show newbies around my favorite places in SL. At one point, I have taught a beginners class in building and moving objects. It was a wonderful way for me to communicate with many diverse people around the world and to share ideas. The majority of my experience has been a positive one and there's nothing more than to encourage others out there to try it. The down side to having classes in SL is the lag (slang term for slowing down the computer). It can be difficult to rez (build/create) objects when there are too many people in the same sim as I am. To prevent this from happening, I make sure that my students have instant messenger -- Yahoo or MSN -- so I could communicate with them in case we crash inside the game. The "crashing" has been a constant thing for years ever since SL opened its doors; there really isn't anything to fix that problem. However, they are improving as time goes on. Another thing I really love is the ability to speak to others in-world. By simply owning a headset with a microphone, one can easily hear my lectures and/or speak to me (if I choose that feature). I highly recommend Second Life to educators and educational institutions to teach classes. I really think it does work and it's probably much worth than having to leave the comfort of your home to attend classes (and find parking!).-----------------------------------
Harrison, Denise (February 18, 2009). Real-Life Teaching in a Virtual World. Campus Technology. Retrieved from: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2009/02/18/real-life-teaching-in-a-virtual-world.aspx
=This concludes my research for IT 442=
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