According to Nuthall (2008), Second Life has taken the world by storm. Not only has it become a space for socializing and learning, it's become a marketplace for real commerce. As a decision-maker within an online university, it's my experience that Second Life has opened up possibilities for multimedia within course content, publisher interactives, and simulation environments. Capsim (http://www.capsim.com/business-simulations/homepage.cfm?CFID=901788&CFTOKEN=45215554) and Labsim (http://www.labsimonline.com/) are used with our courses to improve a student's ability to meet learning objectives. These simulations do not go as far as the virtual world of Second Life. Rather these sims are simply a virtual space created specifically for a particular course of study, instructor, and students.
While some in online teaching and learning may venture into Second Life, there are dangers, just as in any world. There's misinformation, scams, fraud, and other nonacademic distractors that may do more harm than good to an unsuspecting student. But maybe this is just the dose of real world that academia needs.
References
Nuthall, K. (2008). University World News. Retrieved from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20080117162121373
It would be possible to apply identity measures to Second Life (SL) so that only (biometrically?) verified users could interact with other verified users, especially in the context of learning and instruction. Heretofore, I was slow to embrace SL because the discourse of the fantasists always seemed to be in the fore but in the course of our current research on the subject, I have come to truly appreciate the potentiality of the SL platform to inaugurate a transformation in formal education on a level with the dawn of the Internet Age itself. From an academic perspective, I think once SL has proven itself as a worthwhile instructional commodity, it will begin the ascent to adoption.
ReplyDeleteMarlon, thanks for your perspective. There's such a fine line between free speech and acceptable academic conduct, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteWhile I am personally not a fan of Second Life, I do recognize its potential and the influence that it has had on educational technology. My fear as an educator is that we are too enamored with our technological toys. Second Life is still in the the rough toy stage in my view. While it is fun to play with and seek new ways to achieve engaging student activities, I think it is too soon to fully adopt such a tool in academics.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, there is indeed a fine line between free speech and acceptible academic conduct. When should we adopt a new educational technology? When is it too soon?