Jul 11 2008
Second Life
Second Life would be a huge inclusion in my educational journey. I can see so much learning and interaction happening and it seems to have an island or an educational institution for every interest. I was amazed that Harvard, Stanford, Deakin and other very reputable institutions are using Second Life to promote online learning. Who needs U3A? What was especially intriguing was the idea of virtual tours for all aspects of Literature. Following Alice down the rabbit hole, while not unique, would be fun. Reading a Gothic Novel in a Gothic castle would be amazingly atmospheric and a wonderful learning tool.
BigPond invites its subscribers to join in and use its islands, even providing a BigPond mascot to show you around to make your second life easier. The user forum includes a person wanting to set up a Writers’ Guild and offering to provide land and funding. They obviously have an interest that could be developed in the virtual world. And no, I am not in any way connected to BigPond, or a subscriber.
My concern is that second Life would become a huge focus and I do not want to be sucked in like I was with the Sims several years ago! The opportunities for learning are huge, but setting up your life and creating the content to surround you would dominate the initial journey into Second Life. Another option to explore is Google’s new virtual world, and there is a Library creation there ready for us. I need more time!
