Second Life - Week Eleven

Second Life is a whole new world and experience. Here you register to create an avatar, which becomes your “person” in the Second Life world. It simulates the things that we can do in real life on a virtual plane. The concept is very forward thinking and has endless possibilities for learning, socializing, and fun!

The question was posed about the educational value of Second Life. As for use with students, none. Second Life is an adult world. As an educator, there is potential. There are areas of Second life dedicated to the knowledge and advancement of professionals. One example is ISTE island, which I find myself visiting the most. I have to admit, spending countless hours on Second Life has not given me any advantages or gains so far. In fact, it has taken fairly large amounts of time to figure out. At this point, the positives do not outweigh the negatives including finding reputable sites, using up valuable time, and the frustration of freezing, waiting for downloading, and having to restart.

In trying to find alternatives to Second Life for use with students, I have the following summary:

*www.secondlife.com is an online world for adults, 18 and older, as describe above.

*teen.secondlife.com is an online world for teenagers. I’m not seeing where this would fit into education, as it’s just for teens.

*www.clubpenguin.com is an online world for younger children. I have heard of schools that used this site with the younger kids, however not without the frustrations of usernames, passwords, email addresses needed, parental support, technical problems, and safety issues..

Each site has its own guidelines for use. Safety precautions are discussed for each site and should be viewed and adhered to for the best online experience. As with anything, when children are using sites such as these, parents should be encouraged to visit the site with their child and know what they are exposed to and participating in. Teachers must check with their district for guidelines and rules regarding use of such sites needing other set ups for access.