Second Life

As a 3ds Max user and instructor, I thought using a 3d environment like Second Life would be a piece of cake. I was wrong.  The first time I used SL was a counterintuitive experience.

Creating a custom avatar, building objects, navigating, and moving around the software wasn’t that easy. Sanchez (2009) stated in his article “Working in Second Life is very time-consuming. Students were surprised and burdened by the amount of time they needed to spend in order to complete their assignments”.

Despite discovering for myself the proof of Sanchez’s observations, the more I used SL, the more I saw the advantages and benefits for learners. The amount of information and detail available and the opportunity to be part of a 3d live environment where you can meet, share and have fun was amazing. In her article Jarmon (2008) stated “Researchers found that an integrated threefold approach emphasizing project-based pedagogy, technical training and support, and assessment/research was effective in cultivating and understanding learning in SL. Based on research findings, a project-based application of SL that fully accommodates student experiential learning is recommended”.  I visited libraries, educational clubs, and university in SL where they offer and share visual and audio educational content.

In a recent project in which I used a Web Quest to create a table tent for a make-up restaurant, I decided to search for restaurants in Second life. The result was astonishing. I was amazed by the amount of detail in each and every restaurant or Cafe I visited. This is very helpful for students to get new ideas, styles and designs, and more importantly to think out of the box while viewing things from different angles. Furthermore, I visited the International Society for Technology in Education Island in Second Life. They have 85,000 professionals worldwide supporting them with information, networking opportunities, and supervision as they confront the challenge of transforming education.  I found ISTE Island to be very educational and helpful.

Although Second Life is still evolving, the opportunity to use SL in education is unlimited. Many developers are taking advantage of SL not only to learn and have fun, but also to make money. Bell (2009) stated in his article “The emergence of a market economy in Second Life is probably its most remarked-upon feature: an economy founded on user-generated content, in which residents create and sell a variety of virtual objects, skills and services”.

Mohamed Bahrani

References

Bell, David. (2009). Learning from Second Life. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(3), 515-525. Retrieved on August 25th, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=105&sid=234fcb7c-e51d-4910-aab1eae86ac8e7bd%40replicon103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=37605543%23db=aph&AN=37605543

Jarmon, Leslie.. Traphagan, Tomoko. & Mayrath, Michael. (2008). Understanding project-based learning in Second Life with a pedagogy, training, and assessment trio. Educational Media International, 45(3), 157-176. Retrieved on August 25th, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=6&sid=234fcb7c-e51d-4910-aab1-eae86ac8e7bd%40replicon103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=34291518

Sanchez, Joe. (2009). Barriers to Student Learning in Second Life. Library Technology Reports, 45(2), 29-34. Retrieved on August 25th, 2009, from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=102&sid=234fcb7c-e51d-4910-aab1-eae86ac8e7bd%40replicon103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=37251469%23db=aph&AN=37251469