SECOND LIFE
My first foray into Second Life was a book chat a few months ago for a class that I was taking. We met at the Anchorage School District's Ed Tech Island. It was really fun to meet with other people in this virtual world and discuss. However, I had a really had time keeping up with the conversation. By the time I had typed a reply, someone had changed the topic. That was a little frustrating. There are many virtual worlds to visit. Some are educational and some are for mature adults. There doesn't seem to be a lot of controls for young children. I spent most of my time flying and searching and not finding a lot of useful places to gain information, but I must not know where to go. I tried: Virtual Native Lands, Health Info Island, ISTE Island, CNN iReport Island, and the Learning Experience Island. Since it takes some time to learn how to navigate, I google "Second Life video tutorials" and watched a few to get me started. They were very helpful.
Second Life:
- provides an opportunity to create an alter ego for yourself
- allows you to socialize in many different imaginary worlds
- allows you to collaborate with other professionals in a virtual setting
- provides you the opportunity to spend real dollars creating a virtual life
- allows you to meet other avatars/people
- can be intimidating as you learn how to navigate
- has many places that would not be appropriate for schools
- has great potential for education if quality and control can be improved
Right now, I don't see myself using Second Life with my students. There are too many inappropriate places right now. However, I do like the idea of meeting with other professionals for discussions.
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