July 2007 — News
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Second Life: Do You Need One? (Part 4)
1. The Wilderness v. at Home
The most common experience of traditional educators when entering the virtual world is frustration, as they watch others go actively wandering the environment while they stand still, trying to figure out how to even move. The controls of SL are those of most immersive digital games and, therefore, familiar to gamers but fully foreign to non-gamers. This difficulty in basic movement increases the perception that the traditional educator is out of their element and in for some serious trouble.
Add to the technical challenge the fact that you are most likely standing there staring at a giant, pink, and fuzzy, fire-breathing and winged creature, and the feeling of "Huh?" increases. Traditional visitors have entered a world technically and socially different from the one they familiar with, and only a sense of curiosity and humor can help them survive.
2. Expert v. Self Learner
Once a traditional visitor learns how to use the chat feature, the first phrase spoken there is "How do I?..." Traditional educators immediately seek an expert mentor, someone who can point the way and explain things. The digital learner has already run off down the hill to see what is on the other side, running into trees, rocks, rivers, other people--anything in their way. While one visitor seeks direction, the other simply creates it. The game player has practiced that behavior in similar environments for years.
This issue is also seen in the overall social activity of the environment. Expertise is defined inworld very differently than outside. Rather than gained by years of service, academic degree, or position held, inworld expertise is defined by performance and knowledge of the environment. Since non-gamer visitors are low on both parts, they frequently experience the absence of "earned" respect and authority and are sent into a state of shock the first time one of "those kids" refer to them as "dude," or a "noob."
3. Purpose v. Experience
Once the requisite skills are somewhat learned, the very next question from traditional visitors to the virtual world is: "So, what do I do now?" As before, rather than ask such a question, the digital learner has already found themselves a set of bright blue wings, and has turned their avatar into either a furry animal or a well-armed warrior, usually in control of a fast-moving spaceship of some kind.
Traditional educators want to understand "purpose" even before entering the environment. This could be considered fair, as a result of already busy schedules and real-world commitments. However, the digital culture bursting its way into their traditional classrooms is more interested in discovering purpose rather than having it predefined for them.
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