How can second life be used for education

Connect with other online communities, forging new links and friendships. Integrate within a blended learning system These all form part of the student experience and aid with understanding, and, most importantly, retention. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Get the latest news direct. Latest news Oculus. I have yet to fully immerse myself into experimenting with Second Life.

After creating an account and entering in to begin basic avatar customization, I grew frustrated with the interface not seeming very intuitive and have not since entered it. I have very little patience for design that does not allow me to figure things out easily without reading instructions. After reading more about the different possibilities of its use for education however, I will have to get my feet wet again. D candidate and instructor who uses Second Life for teaching and learning.

It was a wonderful, dynamic demonstration that really showed the possibilities that Second Life offers. The presentation Virtual Worlds as Web 2. I have been reading several online articles, attempting to get a sense of the pros and cons involved in using Second Life for education. Even from that brief description, the educational applications should be obvious. The ability to build 3-D objects collaboratively and in real time with others in the same world has enormous potential for teaching building, design, and art principles.

Because Second Life is a rough simulation of the natural world, with meteorological and gravitational systems, the possibilities of experimenting with natural and physical sciences are endless. Meanwhile, the ability to interact with people from all over the globe enables political and cultural exchange and research in a safe and controlled environment.

The game received considerable press lately when the Reuters news agency opened an all-digital bureau within the environment, becoming just the latest real-world organization to recognize the significance of the space.

Similar potential exists in Teen Second Life often called TSL, or the Teen Grid , a separate and smaller version of SL that'srestricted to youths ages and to select adults, after a background check conducted by Linden Lab. Several educational projects have already set up shop there. One of them is sponsored by Global Kids , a New York-based nonprofit organization that teaches leadership, citizenship, and learning skills to urban youth.

One of those directions involved a virtual summer camp on a private island in TSL, where fifteen teens from three countries participated in an interactive, experiential workshop learning about global issues such as economic inequality and the genocide in Darfur. Joseph sees even more educational applications beyond this experience, derived from the existing culture of users.