Virtual Worlds

This week I am checking out Second Life.  Many years ago, I had a Second Life account, around 2003 or 2004 when Second Life was quite new.  It was interesting, but something that I never really got into.  Second Life is a virtual reality game where you literally lead a second life.  People literally can open a business, work a job, and even earn real money for their goods, services, or time.

I created a Second Life account and downloaded the client.  As a player, you create an avatar which is your representation in the game or virtual world.  The options ranged from humans to vampires and robots to animals and even more.  I chose a rabbit because it looks very much like the one from Donnie Darko, and that just thrilled me. 

Donnie Darko

However, most people choose something they feel represents them or something they wish they could be.

My avatar flying around Second Life

My avatar standing inside an item I created.  I also made the large pancake looking thing in the back.

 The main challenges while exploring were just getting used to the interface.  For some reason, Second Life has a user interface that is different than the vast majority of existing interfaces.  Generally, most games and sites choose something similar because then the player is already accustomed to this and can pick up and play faster. 

 There are some benefits to VR for educational purposes.  It allows the user to enter an environment different from their own.  Users can create items, spaces, and have social interaction.  Social interaction is important and especially as distance learning grows, providing a social space would allow students to interaction together "on campus". 

Some VR, such as Second Life, are not always appropriate for the educational setting.  Much of the world is adult orientated.  I was only in Second Life briefly, and I was propositioned.  Bringing others into that environment could be dangerous, especially if you teach anyone under the age of 18.  Because of this, as educators we need to be careful and to administer warnings that there could be unplanned interactions and that we are not responsible for what happens in areas that we cannot control.  There is merit to Second Life and other VR, with lessons that fit.  If I was teaching a class on entrepreneurship and business, Second Life would be an idea place for this because we could interact and "visit" a great many businesses and establishments without having to leave the classroom.

One of the main reasons that this is possible is because the reality in Second Life is user created.  In normal games, coders place items, buildings, and characters for the player to interact with.  In Second Life, other players are creating the places (and you can create your own).  Because of this, it is a lot different than a business in say, Oblivion, where I am simply purchasing items from a pre-programed store.  In Second Life, someone made the store, made the items, and are actively selling to me.

An article by Antonacci and Modress (2008) discusses some of the ways that Second Life could be used in a classroom.  One way that they describe is through design and planning.  They give an example of creating a park.  The student designs the park, the layout, the materials, and all aspects of this park.  Other students, and the instructor, can visit to give feedback.  This makes Second Life and other VR a useful tool to try things out that normally couldn't be, because of price or time required if making in real life.

Boulos, Hetherington, and Wheeler (2007) wrote about the use of Second Life in Health Education.  What was interesting is that they are doing interventions to promote healthy eating and other lifestyles in a virtual world, to help people in the real world.  This is a public health project that has the potential to allow students to work in a lab or in the field, even remotely.  One of the problems faced through digital learning is how to engage students and give them real, meaningful learning.  Meaningful learning is often done through interaction or internships.  This allows the student to virtually participate in something that previously, could only be gotten in person.

Other benefits are that it may help some students feel at ease.  "Ethnic groups, for example, might be more comfortable studying with a tutor whose avatar represents a member of the same ethnic group, whilst younger students would be attracted to studying with a teacher who was represented digitally as being ‘cool’ or ‘hip’" (Boulos et al., 2007 p. 240).  This could potentially help to reach students and help with retention. 

VR, such as Second Life, is something that needs more study, but could potentially have a huge impact on our classrooms - both in person and distance learning.  Students are already familiar with games, VR, and other technologies.  Our jobs are now to find the right balance to create meaningful learning in a changing techscape.  


Works Cited:

Antonacci, D.M. and Modress, N. (2008). Envisioning the educational possibilities of user-created virtual worlds. AACE Journal 16:2 p. 115-126.


Boulos, M.N.K, Hetherington, L., and Wheeler, S. (2007). Second Life: an overview of the potential of 3-D virtual worlds in medical and health education. Health Information Libraries Journal 24 p. 233-245.