SPARKS MEETS ON HELP ISLAND IN SECOND LIFEThe Second Life Experience of Sparks polled individual members about their experiences in Second Life. We share our Second Life experiences here with you in discussion format, moderated by George.
George: "Fatma, you were the first one of our group to explore Second Life. Would you like to be the first to share your experiences with the group?"
Fatma: "Second Life has become a great learning experience for me. Excluding the posts I've posted I visited some other interesting places; China, Italy, New Zealand, Iceland, Germany and got a chance to travel all over the U.S. In the beginning of this whole thing I went in thinking that this is just another Face book, My Space or Tweeter, but it turned out to be more than that. Although I couldn't see the faces of the real people that I was talking to, I still felt as if the avatars were the faces of the people. I realized that SL is not much different than the real world. The only thing that separates these two world's form one another is the fact that you can get to travel with the avatars, where in the real world you hardly have any time to see your own family.
Virtual worlds like Second Life are a great tool to enhance the teaching and learning experiences for students in a way that they can explore and experience things before hand. It is a great learning tool that can enhance our view of things, place and people. Worlds are all different, people are different wherever you go, but SL seems like a safe place to be in. There you can create your own image, you can put SL in good use, great example world be London, which gives us an opportunity to visit schools. In a way SL can ease your decisions, you can seek help from anyone and anything, there's directions and facts about things on every billboard.
In SL, we got a chance to meet with our group. Unfortunately, one of our members was missing, but we got a chance to talk to one another and discuss our assignments. Not much different from other chatrooms, such as wiggio for example, the only thing that changes is the fact that we can ask one another "do you want to meet in China, or do you want to meet in Africa". Also the fact that we can help one another change appearance and direct one another from one place to another, but other than that it was basically an overloaded chatroom."
George: "Megan, would you like to add to Fatma's comments about her experiences in Second Life?"
Megan: "When I first logged on to Second life I was really not looking forward to these assignments and I thought SL was just ridiculous. After taking the time and actually staying on for awhile I realized that it is pretty neat. I got a chance to travel all over the world which is something that I would love to do in real world but probably will never happen. I visited Africa, Germany, Cuba, Spain and Italy all in one day! Second Life is different from the real world because you would not be able to travel across the entire world in one night but in second life you can!"
George: "Thank you for your comments Megan. Dennis, how did you think virtual society differs from real world society?"
Dennis: "The biggest difference I noticed is that Second Life lacks a societal class system and the level of freedom is greater than that allowed in real world society. You can be in a common area with different people and not be treated differently, even if you have a tail. I traveled wherever I chose without a passport and having to go through customs. There are hospitals and various treatment centers in a world without disease and illness and wrongs can be committed against others with no real-world justice system in place."
George: "I agree that the biggest difference between the virtual world and real society was the lack of accountability for one's actions in a virtual world. There are no consequences for bad behavior. In a real world, if you crash your car and die, you stay dead. In second life, you change your character's face , body parts and clothes and go on to crash and live again. There are some similarities between the virtual world and the real world. It is easy to pose as a predator in disguise and prey on other members of the virtual society very much like what can happen online in the real world. As second world artwork improves, the virtual world will more closely resemble real life buildings and environments except for the four headed, tailed creatures walking about."
George: "How were group meetings in world different than meeting in Wiggio or in chat rooms?"
Dennis: " It was better in the sense that we had four of five members in attendance and we all shared the same unfamiliarity. The avatars stayed close together and walked around as a group. For whatever reason, the level of interaction between group members seemed higher. There was a sense of looking out for each other and individual viewpoints seemed repressed. There were more questions asked and less criticism offered than when in e-mails or the Wiggio chatrooms. "
Megan: " Meeting with my group members in Second Life really wasn’t that different then from Wiggio or email. Except in second life I could actually see the avatars of my group member s and travel all around to different places with them. I think that second life could enhance the teaching and learning experiences for children because it gives them a chance to really see what it is like in another places around the world instead of just reading about them in books they can actually visit the specific place and see it for themselves. "
George: "I felt more secure in a group in Second Life than when exploring alone. Group meetings in world felt more realistic to me than chat rooms because I could see my group members in the same room and make a connection between the figures and their words. I did find myself referring to my group members by their avatars' names much to my surprise after our in -world meetings. It was very difficult to arrange to have all of the group in the world room at the same time. I much preferred the use of Wiggio for group communication because of the convenience of posting to the group at any time of day or night with no need to be in the same room at the same time. Meeting as a group in world or online chat rooms was very complicated because of every one's different schedules."
George: "How do you feel virtual worlds like Second Life could be used to enhance teaching and learning experiences for students?" "Megan, any thoughts?"
Megan: " As I previously stated, I think that second life could enhance the teaching and learning experiences for children because it gives them a chance to really see what it is like in other places around the world instead of just reading about them in books they can actually visit the specific place and see it for themselves."
George: "Well said, Megan. Dennis would you like to add anything to what Megan and Fatma have said?"
Dennis: "Virtual worlds can enhance education if teachers utilize the technology creatively. An example is the Virtual Neurological Education Centre. It’s designed to “‘make people more aware of neurological disabilities and allow people suffering from a disability a place to further their knowledge and understanding, offering them support, information, and rehabilitation training” (Boulos). It appeals to “neurological doctors, researchers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, caregivers, and patients, and can provide educational material family members and friends (Boulos). The criticism of Second Life as an educational tool is that many educators complain “that the virtual world is beset by technical problems, is a waste of time, or is largely a playground for sexual experimentation"(Foster A25). According to Peter J. Ludlow, professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto says that “virtual campuses lack imagination because they duplicate real institutions” (Foster A26). Mr. Ludlow has also taught in Second Life classrooms and believes the effort was unsuccessful because “avatars don’t communicate as richly as people do” (Foster A26). He can read body language in the real-world classroom. He can identify and react to students who are tired or look quizzical indicating they may not understand (Foster A26).The artistic aspect of Second Life is evident in the creativity exhibited in the design of avatars, items, buildings, and even virtual artistic works in Second Life. It is a technology-based method of individual expression. However, Nicholas Adams, an art historian at Vassar College, criticizes Second Life saying that “ art historians can’t take this seriously” when commenting on a recreation of the Sistine Chapel on Vassar’s virtual campus (Foster A25). The criticism is based on the appearance of the works’ colors and textures. I expect the artistic potential of Second Life to improve along with the technology’s evolution."
George: "Thank you Dennis. I would like to add that as an assistant teacher, I can see the future potential to use Second Life virtual classrooms to tour real life campuses, businesses , and corporations without actually leaving the classroom. My automotive students could watch hybrid engines being assembled in a Toyota plant in Tokyo or take their ASE certification tests in a virtual testing center where they work on motors with a joystick. Our children can already visit realistic looking college campuses from their desk chairs, maybe someday they could take their driver's exams in virtual worlds or attend job interviews in a virtual world. "
Virtual worlds like Second Life are a great tool to enhance the teaching and learning experiences for students in a way that they can explore and experience things before hand. It is a great learning tool that can enhance our view of things, place and people. Worlds are all different, people are different wherever you go, but SL seems like a safe place to be in. There you can create your own image, you can put SL in good use, great example world be London, which gives us an opportunity to visit schools. In a way SL can ease your decisions, you can seek help from anyone and anything, there's directions and facts about things on every billboard.
In SL, we got a chance to meet with our group. Unfortunately, one of our members was missing, but we got a chance to talk to one another and discuss our assignments. Not much different from other chatrooms, such as wiggio for example, the only thing that changes is the fact that we can ask one another "do you want to meet in China, or do you want to meet in Africa". Also the fact that we can help one another change appearance and direct one another from one place to another, but other than that it was basically an overloaded chatroom."
George: "Megan, would you like to add to Fatma's comments about her experiences in Second Life?"
Megan: "When I first logged on to Second life I was really not looking forward to these assignments and I thought SL was just ridiculous. After taking the time and actually staying on for awhile I realized that it is pretty neat. I got a chance to travel all over the world which is something that I would love to do in real world but probably will never happen. I visited Africa, Germany, Cuba, Spain and Italy all in one day! Second Life is different from the real world because you would not be able to travel across the entire world in one night but in second life you can!"
George: "Thank you for your comments Megan. Dennis, how did you think virtual society differs from real world society?"
Dennis: "The biggest difference I noticed is that Second Life lacks a societal class system and the level of freedom is greater than that allowed in real world society. You can be in a common area with different people and not be treated differently, even if you have a tail. I traveled wherever I chose without a passport and having to go through customs. There are hospitals and various treatment centers in a world without disease and illness and wrongs can be committed against others with no real-world justice system in place."
George: "I agree that the biggest difference between the virtual world and real society was the lack of accountability for one's actions in a virtual world. There are no consequences for bad behavior. In a real world, if you crash your car and die, you stay dead. In second life, you change your character's face , body parts and clothes and go on to crash and live again. There are some similarities between the virtual world and the real world. It is easy to pose as a predator in disguise and prey on other members of the virtual society very much like what can happen online in the real world. As second world artwork improves, the virtual world will more closely resemble real life buildings and environments except for the four headed, tailed creatures walking about."
George: "How were group meetings in world different than meeting in Wiggio or in chat rooms?"
Dennis: " It was better in the sense that we had four of five members in attendance and we all shared the same unfamiliarity. The avatars stayed close together and walked around as a group. For whatever reason, the level of interaction between group members seemed higher. There was a sense of looking out for each other and individual viewpoints seemed repressed. There were more questions asked and less criticism offered than when in e-mails or the Wiggio chatrooms. "
Megan: " Meeting with my group members in Second Life really wasn’t that different then from Wiggio or email. Except in second life I could actually see the avatars of my group member s and travel all around to different places with them. I think that second life could enhance the teaching and learning experiences for children because it gives them a chance to really see what it is like in another places around the world instead of just reading about them in books they can actually visit the specific place and see it for themselves. "
George: "I felt more secure in a group in Second Life than when exploring alone. Group meetings in world felt more realistic to me than chat rooms because I could see my group members in the same room and make a connection between the figures and their words. I did find myself referring to my group members by their avatars' names much to my surprise after our in -world meetings. It was very difficult to arrange to have all of the group in the world room at the same time. I much preferred the use of Wiggio for group communication because of the convenience of posting to the group at any time of day or night with no need to be in the same room at the same time. Meeting as a group in world or online chat rooms was very complicated because of every one's different schedules."
George: "How do you feel virtual worlds like Second Life could be used to enhance teaching and learning experiences for students?" "Megan, any thoughts?"
Megan: " As I previously stated, I think that second life could enhance the teaching and learning experiences for children because it gives them a chance to really see what it is like in other places around the world instead of just reading about them in books they can actually visit the specific place and see it for themselves."
George: "Well said, Megan. Dennis would you like to add anything to what Megan and Fatma have said?"
Dennis: "Virtual worlds can enhance education if teachers utilize the technology creatively. An example is the Virtual Neurological Education Centre. It’s designed to “‘make people more aware of neurological disabilities and allow people suffering from a disability a place to further their knowledge and understanding, offering them support, information, and rehabilitation training” (Boulos). It appeals to “neurological doctors, researchers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, caregivers, and patients, and can provide educational material family members and friends (Boulos). The criticism of Second Life as an educational tool is that many educators complain “that the virtual world is beset by technical problems, is a waste of time, or is largely a playground for sexual experimentation"(Foster A25). According to Peter J. Ludlow, professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto says that “virtual campuses lack imagination because they duplicate real institutions” (Foster A26). Mr. Ludlow has also taught in Second Life classrooms and believes the effort was unsuccessful because “avatars don’t communicate as richly as people do” (Foster A26). He can read body language in the real-world classroom. He can identify and react to students who are tired or look quizzical indicating they may not understand (Foster A26).The artistic aspect of Second Life is evident in the creativity exhibited in the design of avatars, items, buildings, and even virtual artistic works in Second Life. It is a technology-based method of individual expression. However, Nicholas Adams, an art historian at Vassar College, criticizes Second Life saying that “ art historians can’t take this seriously” when commenting on a recreation of the Sistine Chapel on Vassar’s virtual campus (Foster A25). The criticism is based on the appearance of the works’ colors and textures. I expect the artistic potential of Second Life to improve along with the technology’s evolution."
George: "Thank you Dennis. I would like to add that as an assistant teacher, I can see the future potential to use Second Life virtual classrooms to tour real life campuses, businesses , and corporations without actually leaving the classroom. My automotive students could watch hybrid engines being assembled in a Toyota plant in Tokyo or take their ASE certification tests in a virtual testing center where they work on motors with a joystick. Our children can already visit realistic looking college campuses from their desk chairs, maybe someday they could take their driver's exams in virtual worlds or attend job interviews in a virtual world. "
"Thank you all for your input on the second life experiences of Sparks. Let's meet online 5 years from now to see how many of our predictions have come true."
Boulos, Maged N. Kamel. “Second Life: an overview of the potential of 3-D virtual worlds in medical and health education”. Health Information & Libraries Journal. Dec2007. 24:4. 233:245Foster, Andrea. “Campuses in Second Life Are Second-Rate, Author Says”. Chronicle of Higher Education. 07 Dec 2007. A26Foster, Andrea. “Second Life: Second Thoughts and Doubts”. Chronicle of Higher Education. 21 Sept 2007. A25
Boulos, Maged N. Kamel. “Second Life: an overview of the potential of 3-D virtual worlds in medical and health education”. Health Information & Libraries Journal. Dec2007. 24:4. 233:245Foster, Andrea. “Campuses in Second Life Are Second-Rate, Author Says”. Chronicle of Higher Education. 07 Dec 2007. A26Foster, Andrea. “Second Life: Second Thoughts and Doubts”. Chronicle of Higher Education. 21 Sept 2007. A25
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