Second Life @ DeSales.edu
Beth Ritter-Guth
Adjunct Professor, Humanities

What is Second Life?
• Second Life is a Multi-User Virtual
Environment
• Second Life is not a game
• Other Multi-User Virtual Environments
– There
– SIMS online
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Who is Using Second Life?
• Educators (300+)
– Ivy League (Harvard, Stanford, Princeton)
– Big Ten (Penn State)
– Community Colleges (LCCC)
• Business Leaders
– IBM, Nissan, Sun Microsystems
• Philanthropists
– MacArthur Foundation, Relay for Life
• Politicians
– John Kerry, Hilary Clinton, Republican Party
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The World
• The Sistine Chapel at Vassar
• The Genome Project
• Sci-Foo at Drexel
• Literature Alive! In Second Life (sample)
– Edgar Allan Poe’s House of Usher
– The British Literature Classroom @ Camelot
– The Virtual Canterbury Tales
– Grendel’s Lair
– Walden Pond
– The Virtual Naylor Project
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DeSales in Second Life
• Contemporary Literature Classroom
– Harry Potter Castle
– The Fight Club
– Choose Your Own Adventure Maze
– Dante’s Inferno/Linden Hills (Naylor)
– Women of Brewster Place, Mama Day, Bailey’s Café
(Naylor)
• Progressive Era Literature Classroom
– Sweatshops, Rail History, Dorney Park
• World University Exchange
– Japan, Korea, France, Canada, and US (DSU, IUP)
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Virtual Leadership
• Character U and the Salesian Spirit
– Ethical use of Web 2.0
– Virtual Ethics
– Trademark/Copyright
– Educator Role Modeling
– Philanthropy and Open Access
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Risks and Criticism
• Technology Glitches (lag, graphics, older equipment)
– Open Labs
• Educational Value
– SL is a tool; it is not the only tool
• Adult Content
– There is adult content on the web, as well
• Technology versus Content
– Faculty need training; course objectives come first
• Griefing
– Students and faculty need training
• Addiction
– Students need to be prepared for risks
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Benefits
• Retention
– Material (longevity)
– In-Class and University
• Immersion
– Hands-On learning
– Student-Centered Pedagogy
• Global Partnerships
– International Projects
• Collaboration
– Faculty, Students, Librarians
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Ready to Travel?
• Preparing for International Travel
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Virtual Tour
• Progressive Era Literature Plot
• World University Exchange
• Health Info Islands (NIH)
• Sistine Chapel
• NOAA
• International Space Flight Museum
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