Second Life...

Recently, I've been spending some time looking into the potential application of Linden Lab's Second Life [SL] as a teaching tool.

MUVEs (Multi-User Virtual Environments) [also known as MMOs (Massively Multiplay Online) and MMORPGs (MMO Role-Playing Games)] are web-based virtual 3D-worlds that are capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of ‘players’ simultaneously. Each participant creates an avatar and this becomes their MUVE persona. The emphasis in SL is less on ‘gaming’ and more about socialising, world-building (a ‘metaverse’) and developing an in-world virtual economy that depends on the sale and purchase of user-created content and land.

The popularity of these MMOs [and Second Life is showing a remarkable growth rate with over 3.5 million registered users and, often, over 20,000 participants in-world at any one time] is, in part, based on the visually rich, engaging virtual environment. The engines that are used to create those environments are like a set of drawing tools that can be used to create any kind of world, object or environment that is desired. All of this is open source and so the potential exists to create…well, anything.

Maybe we are a little ahead of the curve at this point, but [aside from the potential distractions of naked flying avatars and occasional SL software updates giving video cards a headache] I can see that over the next 6-12 months there will be increasing opportunities for in-world activities and collaboration.

Reuters already have a news bureau in there, a number of large companies, such as IBM, are staking their flag too, and a South American airline [can't find the link right now] proposes to *fly* people between destinations [for free] and give them award miles (and the obligatory T-shirt no doubt].

On the eLearning side, Moodle users and ISTE have already have developer groups working in there, and now a team comprising Angel Learning and SLED (Second Life Educators community) plan to open a 'Learning Island' in mid-May as a general facility for educational development.

So...plenty to investigate...and lots of opportunities to explore – both in teaching and in SL.

--G.