July 2007 — News
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Second Life: Do You Need One? (Part 4)
In this final installment of our four-part series on Second Life, Amareal Jewell continues her conversation with Virtual Bacon, an experienced Second Lifer who is the owner and creator of imagiLEARNING island and who works to introduce traditional educators and businesspeople to SL. Here he explains the top-seven hurdles faced by traditional educators as they attempt to grasp some decidedly non-traditional concepts in virtual learning. He also discusses other, general issues with Second Life in education and entertainment.
For those who are just coming into this series, you can find the first three parts archived at the links below.
- Part 1: Second Life: Do You Need One?
- Part 2: Where's the Learning?
- Part 3: Virtual Bacon Talks Second Life
Amareal Jewell: What do you think will be the future of using virtual worlds in education when one considers all learners, including those with certain disabilities?
Virtual Bacon: I personally believe that virtual world [technology] is the replacement for traditional Web-based delivery and traditional Web-based education. As the technology continues to improve, disability issues will be reduced. At the International Game Developers Conference this year I sat in a chair with a small device attached to my head and controlled the characters in a game through my brain waves--no physical control whatsoever. This technology will become integral to virtual worlds. Technology also exists for visual implants to bypass damaged optic tissue and send visual data directly to the brain. That will also become a part of the common technology. As we have already seen with many psychological "disabilities," virtual world technologies will provide opportunities for a "level playing field" simply not possible in the real world.
One issue that must be addressed is the current trend of educators who believe we have to once again set standards for practices in the virtual world. This is demonstrated by a group of people who are in a wheel chair in the real world and are insisting that all virtual world environments must be wheel chair accessible. When other chair people state that they enjoy the fantasy of being able to walk and even fly in Second Life, the others state that they believe they are not being "true to themselves" by getting out of the chair even in the virtual world. While I understand both arguments, I resist any effort to "require" that Second Life be bound by the physical parameters of the real world in any way.
AJ: What are your favorite places in SL?
VB: Not to sound too self-serving, but my favorite places in SL are my islands. They are the home of my creativity, my network of friends who hang out at the Infamous North Beach Tiki Bar, and the focus of my intellectual challenge of reframing education.
