Second Life

AJ Kelton / AJ Brooks

Blending the real and virtual worlds

for a hybrid learning experience

What do you already know about Second

Life?

Why Second Life?

A Universe of Virtual Worlds

Platforms

Adult - 22Teen /Tween - 18

“Kids” - 15

55 virtual platforms80.8 million users

What is Second Life?

Officially Launched in 2003 (beta in 1999)

“Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents.”

A flexible space for learning and exploration

An opportunity for people to interact in a way that conveys a sense of presence lacking in other media.

Generalized rather than contextual, applicable to almost any discipline, business, industry, etc...

What is Second Life?Second life is NOT a game - there are no rules or a fixed goal-oriented purpose.

10-15K sign ups daily - over 13 million total

30 - 60K residents on at one time - avg 50K(2000 census puts Montclair and Little Falls at about 50K)

over $1 million spent daily (real US dollars)

Well over 300 educational institutions with thousands of meters of land dedicated to education

Show me the money

“We don't see any slowing in the market adoption of virtual worlds technologies and expect investment in the space to continue. In fact the market is growing significantly, with the rate of adoption of virtual worlds increasing as the technology matures and has more to offer both consumers and enterprise customers.”

Christopher Sherman, Executive Director of Virtual Worlds Management

Collaboration

InfoIsland

Princeton

The Sistine Chapel Vassar

Vassar Island

Genome Island

NOAA

The CHSS Pilot Project

Recreate What Exists

Recreate what exists, differently!

Walk into a story

Always “On” Content

Traditional Spaces

Engage Your Students

ENWR 105:18Introduction to College Writing I

ENWR 105:18

• The technology use was required

• Notification prior to the start of classes (MWB / MWH / MWO)

• Full support from the Department

• Open and Clear Communication

• Email prior to class starting

• Posting syllabus prior to class

• Expectations clearly outlined in syllabus

• Expectation of use

• Expectation of access

ENWR 105:18

Assignments

• Explore NMC’s Orientation Island

• Group work

• Info Island field trip

• Research and share relevant SL places

• Alternate meeting place

• Library research (RL and SL)

• Friends, Groups, and Landmarks

• Final Project: Dorm

What does it take to teach a technology rich

class?• Relevance

• Planning

• Flexibility

• Experimentation

• Research

Courses

• Jack Baldwin-LeClair (Political Science and Law): Jurisprudence and Cyberlaw

• Patty Keefe-D’Urso (English): 2 section of Introduction to College Writing II

• AJ Kelton (English): 2 sections of Introduction to College Writing I and New Student Seminar

• Laura Nicosia (English): Art of Fiction

• Leslie Wilson (History) : The Study of History and New Student Seminar

Pedagogical Validity for Teaching with Second

Life

(with special thanks to Laura Nicosia for the following 22 slides)

Pedagogical Validity for Teaching with Second

Life

(with special thanks to Laura Nicosia for the following 22 slides)

First, we First, we recognize…recognize…

First, we First, we recognize…recognize…

There is significant media hype focused on the “darker sides” of the in-world experience - violence, sex, drugs and rock & roll

The label of “gaming” poses an image problem for SL insofar as its potential uses in secondary and/or higher education

Without proper directions, goals and objectives, SL is as aimless and as pedagogically bereft of meaning as any other poorly designed or poorly deployed classroom lesson

There is significant media hype focused on the “darker sides” of the in-world experience - violence, sex, drugs and rock & roll

The label of “gaming” poses an image problem for SL insofar as its potential uses in secondary and/or higher education

Without proper directions, goals and objectives, SL is as aimless and as pedagogically bereft of meaning as any other poorly designed or poorly deployed classroom lesson

However, with constructivist However, with constructivist pedagogiespedagogies

However, with constructivist However, with constructivist pedagogiespedagogies

ComprehensionComprehension soars when millennials soars when millennials engage with their avatars and co-journey engage with their avatars and co-journey through the learning environment’s through the learning environment’s unfolding episodes and processes (Dede)unfolding episodes and processes (Dede)

Learning communities Learning communities are fosteredare fostered

Collaborative knowledge-buildingCollaborative knowledge-building develops and cognitive capital is develops and cognitive capital is distributed among groups and individualsdistributed among groups and individuals

ComprehensionComprehension soars when millennials soars when millennials engage with their avatars and co-journey engage with their avatars and co-journey through the learning environment’s through the learning environment’s unfolding episodes and processes (Dede)unfolding episodes and processes (Dede)

Learning communities Learning communities are fosteredare fostered

Collaborative knowledge-buildingCollaborative knowledge-building develops and cognitive capital is develops and cognitive capital is distributed among groups and individualsdistributed among groups and individuals

Each site is “always on” and “always full of content”

Sites may appear vacant, but may be filled with content

Meet Students in Meet Students in “Interesting” Places“Interesting” Places

Meet Students in Meet Students in “Interesting” Places“Interesting” Places

Second Life permits the Second Life permits the use of unconventional use of unconventional

educational settings and educational settings and hands-on experiences hands-on experiences

that would be that would be difficult/impossible in difficult/impossible in Real Life. Such as…Real Life. Such as…

Second Life permits the Second Life permits the use of unconventional use of unconventional

educational settings and educational settings and hands-on experiences hands-on experiences

that would be that would be difficult/impossible in difficult/impossible in Real Life. Such as…Real Life. Such as…

Dante’s Inferno and Linden HillsDante’s Inferno and Linden HillsDante’s Inferno and Linden HillsDante’s Inferno and Linden Hills

Second Life Second Life providesprovides

Second Life Second Life providesprovides

Guided Inquiry,Guided Inquiry, where experience is where experience is central to learning central to learning

ScaffoldingScaffolding of in-world prior experiences of in-world prior experiences through seeking, sieving and synthesizing through seeking, sieving and synthesizing experiencesexperiences

DecentralizationDecentralization of the class, where of the class, where knowledge is created across a community knowledge is created across a community rather than delivered from an individualrather than delivered from an individual

Guided Inquiry,Guided Inquiry, where experience is where experience is central to learning central to learning

ScaffoldingScaffolding of in-world prior experiences of in-world prior experiences through seeking, sieving and synthesizing through seeking, sieving and synthesizing experiencesexperiences

DecentralizationDecentralization of the class, where of the class, where knowledge is created across a community knowledge is created across a community rather than delivered from an individualrather than delivered from an individual

In the process, In the process, we…we…

In the process, In the process, we…we…

Share and exchangeShare and exchange resources, cultural resources, cultural knowledge, stories and experiencesknowledge, stories and experiences

Engage in Engage in social explorationsocial exploration using a using a multiplicity of perspectives and points of multiplicity of perspectives and points of viewview

Apply Apply critical thinkingcritical thinking and problem-solving and problem-solving in context and in processin context and in process

Unlearn assumptionsUnlearn assumptions about communities about communities and the “Other”and the “Other”

Share and exchangeShare and exchange resources, cultural resources, cultural knowledge, stories and experiencesknowledge, stories and experiences

Engage in Engage in social explorationsocial exploration using a using a multiplicity of perspectives and points of multiplicity of perspectives and points of viewview

Apply Apply critical thinkingcritical thinking and problem-solving and problem-solving in context and in processin context and in process

Unlearn assumptionsUnlearn assumptions about communities about communities and the “Other”and the “Other”

Pedagogical considerations:Pedagogical considerations:Pedagogical considerations:Pedagogical considerations:

AsynchronousAsynchronous participation and deep reflection participation and deep reflection at each user’s paceat each user’s pace

SynchronousSynchronous virtual exchanges to heighten virtual exchanges to heighten immersion and foster interactionsimmersion and foster interactions

A combination of A combination of mediatedmediated,, situated learning- situated learning-environments (teacher established challenges) environments (teacher established challenges) and and free,free, evolvingevolving situated learning situated learning environments (to experience virtual environments (to experience virtual exploration)exploration)

AsynchronousAsynchronous participation and deep reflection participation and deep reflection at each user’s paceat each user’s pace

SynchronousSynchronous virtual exchanges to heighten virtual exchanges to heighten immersion and foster interactionsimmersion and foster interactions

A combination of A combination of mediatedmediated,, situated learning- situated learning-environments (teacher established challenges) environments (teacher established challenges) and and free,free, evolvingevolving situated learning situated learning environments (to experience virtual environments (to experience virtual exploration)exploration)

Autonomous Autonomous LearningLearning

Autonomous Autonomous LearningLearning

Students visit the always Students visit the always available siteavailable site

Students visit the always Students visit the always available siteavailable site

They enter the learning space

Explore and orient themselves

Encounter your assigned tasks

They can open search engines and visit my

pre-selected urls.

I control the environment.

They receive tasks to accomplish (whether I am

with them or not)

Students write essays on Notecards and deliver them to me via an

“inworld email” system or deposit them in items.

Creating Notecards is as easy as opening a file.

Their Notecards can be as long as they need to be.

An effective virtual An effective virtual learning environment learning environment

(VLE) may:(VLE) may:

An effective virtual An effective virtual learning environment learning environment

(VLE) may:(VLE) may:SupplementSupplement face-to-face interaction face-to-face interaction

Be used Be used in combinationin combination with other multi- with other multi-media (e.g. videoconferences embedded media (e.g. videoconferences embedded within the SL platform or concomitant with within the SL platform or concomitant with SL)SL)

Be an adjunct to Be an adjunct to BlackboardBlackboard or another or another more linear, asynchronous interactions with more linear, asynchronous interactions with discussion groups and blogs discussion groups and blogs

SupplementSupplement face-to-face interaction face-to-face interaction

Be used Be used in combinationin combination with other multi- with other multi-media (e.g. videoconferences embedded media (e.g. videoconferences embedded within the SL platform or concomitant with within the SL platform or concomitant with SL)SL)

Be an adjunct to Be an adjunct to BlackboardBlackboard or another or another more linear, asynchronous interactions with more linear, asynchronous interactions with discussion groups and blogs discussion groups and blogs

Ultimately, We MustUltimately, We MustUltimately, We MustUltimately, We MustMake the environment part of the learning experience—not an end unto itself

Enable metacognitive reflection on the SL experience

Construct feedback loops and self-renewing frameworks to inform our praxis

Investigate the pedagogical successes and failures of using Second life for our classes and disciplines

Make the environment part of the learning experience—not an end unto itself

Enable metacognitive reflection on the SL experience

Construct feedback loops and self-renewing frameworks to inform our praxis

Investigate the pedagogical successes and failures of using Second life for our classes and disciplines

Business

Spaceport Alpha and Delta

Abbott’s Aerodrome

Renaissance Island

The Second Louvre

The Lost Gardens of

Apollo

San Francesco Assisi

Kelly Employment Services

Challenges

For discipline-specific For discipline-specific

uses of SL in the uses of SL in the class:class:

For discipline-specific For discipline-specific

uses of SL in the uses of SL in the class:class:

““101 Uses for Second Life 101 Uses for Second Life

in the College Classroom” in the College Classroom”

Dr. Megan S. Conklin—Elon UniversityDr. Megan S. Conklin—Elon Universityhttp://trumpy.cs.elon.edu/metaverse

““101 Uses for Second Life 101 Uses for Second Life

in the College Classroom” in the College Classroom”

Dr. Megan S. Conklin—Elon UniversityDr. Megan S. Conklin—Elon Universityhttp://trumpy.cs.elon.edu/metaverse

?

MUVEing Education Forward

For Anyone Interested in Second Lifeas a Tool for Teaching and Learning

Monday, June 23rd, 2008University Hall - 7th Floor

10:00am to 3:00pmFree and open to all

http://capricorn.montclair.edu/mediawiki/index.php/MUVEing_Education_Forward

MUVE is a Multi-User Virtual Environment