A relatively new online experience has not only created a fantasy world for the general public, but it has enabled some tech-savvy educators to create virtual educational opportunities. Second Life, or SL, is a 3-D Internet-based virtual world created by Linden Lab and populated by nearly 1,000,000 active users worldwide since 2003.
Anyone can log on, download the software, create an avatar—or graphical representation of oneself, which can be changed with a few clicks of a mouse—and anyone can build a business or home on a parcel of land within the world busy with people, entertainment and experiences. Many organizations use Second Life to enhance productivity by focusing on internal business uses such as training and simulation. Others engage customers through interviews and recruiting.
With a few clicks of the mouse, teachers and administrators can congregate at Discovery Education’s amphitheater on Edu-Island II, a virtual property that Discovery Education is renting and where about 700 educators congregate to receive alerts about upcoming events and professional learning opportunities.They also visit to gain experience in virtual worlds or just be social. Some interaction among educators has little to do with Second Life; they might learn, for example, about differentiated instruction and live video streaming on a weekly basis.
The Discovery Education headquarters in Second Life is a towering spire that looks like something Alexandre Gustave Eiffel would have created had he not been bound by the laws of physics. Inside, the decorations adorning the walls serve a dual purpose. Discovery Education posters open up browser windows, providing visitors with more information about services. For example, when visiting NASA’s tribute to the space program in Second Life, visitors can do more than just see scale models of each rocket launched. By clicking on the accompanying posters, NASA’s Web site opens, providing additional information.
"The 45 minutes flew each class as the kids were feverishly doing their math, calculating discounts, recommending certain items over others (in IM!) and helping each other manage their budgets." -Michele McKiernan, teacher, Suffern (N.Y.) Middle School, Ramapo Central School District
Second Life draws the most educators, but it isn’t the only virtual world available. Dozens of others include Club Penguin, Disney’s virtual world, which allows children to chat, socialize, and play games with other children around the globe; Lively, where users can customize their avatars’ appearance, decorate meeting rooms, and then invite others to join them there; and There, which is similar to Second Life but has less of a learning curve and is less popular. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are close to releasing fully immersive virtual worlds for their online communities.
Another alternative cropping up among educators is Open-Simulator, which is a virtual worlds server that allows users to build worlds locally and then connect them to other local worlds in classrooms as desired, according to Will Richardson, who is a DA columnist. It can be used to create a Second Life-like environment. Richardson says there is potential for learning in such worlds, but education is still “quite a few years away from any large-scale adoption” on the K12 level. “We’re still struggling to get our brains and our practice around the idea of publishing to and collaborating on the Web, much less delivering content or workshops in these synchronous, online, user-created spaces,” he says. “Until we are able in some systemic way to re-envision teaching and schooling to embrace the potentials of anytime, anywhere learning, we’re going to have a very difficult time understanding how to leverage the possibilities.”
Two Versions of Second Life
SL has two versions. The main grid is designed for mature adults over 18 years old and offers an array of virtual realities, such as those from NASA. The second version is Teen Second Life, which is a safe place for education projects for youths 13 to 18 years old. Unlike main SL, Teen Second Life restricts entry and activities only to educators or those conducting educational projects there.
Linden Lab only allows adults in the Teen Second Life who come clean under a background check and who are educators responsible for an educational project, or who are assisting in developing projects or managing activities on business islands. Educators can create their own islands and bring students to them through their own Web sites.
