Get a (Second) Life: Using Second Life to Enhance Academic Content Beth Ritter-Guth Lehigh Carbon Community College

What is Second Life? Second Life (SL) is a Multi-User Virtual Environment SL is not a game Residents (Total) 8,511,329 Active Residents (30 Day Activity) 1,688,125 US dollars spent on August 2: $1,213,819

Second Life (SL) is a Multi-User Virtual Environment

SL is not a game

Residents (Total) 8,511,329

Active Residents (30 Day Activity) 1,688,125

US dollars spent on August 2: $1,213,819

Academic Community 250+ Colleges and Universities Harvard Oxford Princeton Stanford Penn State Indiana University of PA Drexel University Lehigh Carbon Community College

250+ Colleges and Universities

Harvard

Oxford

Princeton

Stanford

Penn State

Indiana University of PA

Drexel University

Lehigh Carbon Community College

RL Businesses in SL IBM Nissan Xerox Caldwell Banker Sun Microsystems The V3 Group

IBM

Nissan

Xerox

Caldwell Banker

Sun Microsystems

The V3 Group

Why Second Life? Preparing for the Global Workforce Cost effective meetings Cost effective trainings Collaborative communities Shared resources Marketing Joint research/dissemination

Preparing for the Global Workforce

Cost effective meetings

Cost effective trainings

Collaborative communities

Shared resources

Marketing

Joint research/dissemination

Risks Adult content Real people = real situations Griefing Grid crashes/lag

Adult content

Real people = real situations

Griefing

Grid crashes/lag

Shaping a Virtual Environment People will pick good content Prepare students for “international travel” Teach students anti-griefing tools Accept lag/know the physics

People will pick good content

Prepare students for “international travel”

Teach students anti-griefing tools

Accept lag/know the physics

Literature Alive! In Second Life Open Educational Resources (OER/CC) Immersive literature Camelot Beowulf Virtual Canterbury Tales Edgar Allan Poe’s House of Usher Kate Chopin Classroom

Open Educational Resources (OER/CC)

Immersive literature

Camelot

Beowulf

Virtual Canterbury Tales

Edgar Allan Poe’s House of Usher

Kate Chopin Classroom

The Lady of Shallot Alfred, Lord Tennyson OBJECT (Prim) SCRIPTED Alice Script Notecards

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

OBJECT (Prim)

SCRIPTED

Alice Script

Notecards

Camelot

Dante’s Inferno

Added Value Literature Composition Chemistry Physics Math Biology & Genetics Computer Science Professional Development

Literature

Composition

Chemistry

Physics

Math

Biology & Genetics

Computer Science

Professional Development

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