I really don't know much about 3-D worlds, virtual reality, and such, but I'm taking my plunge. About three weeks ago I received an email invitation reading,
"On August 4th, 2008, and again on August 6th, Alliance Library System, in cooperation with LearningTimes, will offer a one-day conference exploring the possibilities of using virtual worlds to teach literature and to promote its
appreciation for people of all ages. The conference, entitled "Stepping into Literature: Bringing New Life to Books through Virtual Worlds," will be held entirely in the virtual world of Second Life, allowing participants to attend from any location with a computer and a broadband Internet connection. "While the conference is not free, it's reasonable ($65) for a day long session. And, while I'm not exactly an English teacher anymore, I am very excited to see the possibilities of this new medium and share it with others. I don't know why, but I didn't really dive into SL a year and a half ago. Guess I was trying to catch up on all the other Web 2.0 tools I'd missed out on and felt a bit overwhelmed. Well, today I just finished my orientation for the conference coming up on August 4th, and I felt good about expanding my borders a bit. I can walk, chat, fly, magnify info, etc. with my avatar now - a great deal more than I could one day ago. Wish me luck Monday; how embarrassing to go to a conference and fly into a wall or have other avatars transporting onto my head because I forgot to make room for them as they transported in! I'll report back on what I learn and the potential for use within the educational setting.
I look forward to hearing more about your experience. I've been having a play in SL myself but have yet to experience an eduacational event in world yet.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you ran into a bunch of "high faluting" academics who think that Second Life is a medium for education. It is not.
ReplyDeleteSL is 3D world and lends itself to social interaction. The interface is also really difficult. I have been in the SL for 2 years. Great fun, but this is not for education.
Yeah, sure ISTE has an island and a bunch of educators meet there, but Second Life is first a business to make money for the Linden Lab and Second a alternative reality where anyone can be anything they want to be.
The software also has extreme addictive properties. Beware !
Tory Micheline