July 2007 — News
Print this article | Email this articleClick here to receive your FREE subscription to T.H.E. Journal
Second Life: Do You Need One? (Part 4)
Other than my space, I prefer areas that engage my mind and imagination. I find myself drawn back to such places as the recreation of historical Dodge City, where I can put on my western duds, ride a horse around town, and watch the gun fighters do their thing in an environment designed to reflect the appearance and behaviors of the time. I constantly search for areas in which people are creating new gadgets and finding new applications that may have potential for teaching and learning.
More than places, I usually seek people. I am intrigued by the network that I am creating in the virtual world. I have regular conversation with intelligent and creative people from Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Korea, Germany,... Chicago, Portland, Orlando,... and a lady from a farm in the back-wilderness of Northern Canada: You name it. And while a level of anonymity does exist, real relationships are created, based upon the conversations, the collaboration on projects, the "real" things aside from gender, nationality, or real-world culture.
AJ: Do you use SL for entertainment or business as well?
VB: Yes on both counts. One of my computers is logged into SL through most of the day and evening. While I do my real world work, I frequently engage in conversation with friends in SL, just as I have done for years using a telephone. Only the tool has changed. We often gather in late afternoons at the North Beach Tiki Bar for conversation, surfing, dancing, as we might at a local bar, if we were in the same real-world city. Only here it is a group from 11 nations, some joining in the afternoon, some in the morning and some in the wee hours. One of my islands is the home for the international surfing championships [that were held June 30, 2007].
I hold real-world meetings in Second Life, both for my primary job and for consulting I do with others in Second Life. I regularly have "official" meetings with students, for advising or for programmatic issues. I have used Second Life to engage students in projects for their portfolios and have introduced students to potential employers inworld as well. Interactions with members of my dissertation committee take place in Second Life.
As I mentioned above, the line between work/play/games has blended for me. The lines are no longer distinct, nor are the tools I use for each. This remains perhaps the greatest challenge for me and for most of us in SL now. What non-digital individuals view as a secondary and even superfluous activity has actually become a fully integrated part of my lifestyle.
AJ: I believe many educators would just give up on SL, if they experienced the frustrations getting started, as I did. What tips do you have for traditional educators?
VB: The following are seven key issues I have noticed when traditional educators are immersed into the experience of virtual world technologies. I believe these seven items lay the ground work for much of the frustration, fear, and general "lostness" described by those traditional educators. Interestingly, I have never heard a digital learner ever say they felt "lost" in SL.
