Virtual Worlds: Hype or Reality? Jane Chandler (RL) / Lane Erde (SL) Emma Duke-Williams (RL) / Emmadw Rickenbacker (SL) School of Computing & The ExPERT Centre CETL Work also supported by a grant from the HEA-ICS Subject Centre http://secondlife.com

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/online_communities.png Virtual Worlds

What is a virtual world?

Dipity Timeline First 100 years (from 1787)

Dipity Timeline (Last 25 years)

What is a Virtual World? Computer based? Rich, graphical, 3-D environment Real people represented by avatars Content may be user created Various combinations of Chat, IM and voice communication May have audio and video streaming May have links out to the web

Computer based?

Rich, graphical, 3-D environment

Real people represented by avatars

Content may be user created

Various combinations of Chat, IM and voice communication

May have audio and video streaming

May have links out to the web

What is an avatar?

http://www.answers.com/ The incarnation of a Hindu deity An embodiment, as of a quality or concept; an archetype: the very avatar of cunning A temporary manifestation or aspect of a continuing entity

The incarnation of a Hindu deity

An embodiment, as of a quality or concept; an archetype: the very avatar of cunning

A temporary manifestation or aspect of a continuing entity

http://www.answers.com/ The incarnation of a Hindu deity An embodiment, as of a quality or concept; an archetype: the very avatar of cunning A temporary manifestation or aspect of a continuing entity A representation of a person who is physically absent

The incarnation of a Hindu deity

An embodiment, as of a quality or concept; an archetype: the very avatar of cunning

A temporary manifestation or aspect of a continuing entity

“ I, Avatar” * “ An avatar is an interactive social representation of a user” “ A character in a game … in which you can affect, choose or change the plot” “ A social creature dancing on the border between fact and fiction” A role we inhabit * Mark Meadows, 2008

“ An avatar is an interactive social representation of a user”

“ A character in a game … in which you can affect, choose or change the plot”

“ A social creature dancing on the border between fact and fiction”

A role we inhabit

How often do the people you interact with see every aspect of you and your life?

A Virtual World: Second Life ® Not a game – no rules, no prizes, no winner, no objective User created/defined content You chose what you look like You chose what you do

Not a game – no rules, no prizes, no winner, no objective

User created/defined content

You chose what you look like

You chose what you do

Activities in Second Life Business Meetings Social / Entertainment Content Creation: art, software, Simulations: places, events, buildings, risky/expensive experiences Classes: lectures, tutorials, ‘treasure hunts’ Libraries and Museums

Business

Meetings

Social / Entertainment

Content Creation: art, software,

Simulations: places, events, buildings, risky/expensive experiences

Classes: lectures, tutorials, ‘treasure hunts’

Libraries and Museums

Lion Gate Building, University of Portsmouth

Lion Gate Building, University of Portsmouth

Portland Building, University of Portsmouth

Portland Building, University of Portsmouth

Portland Building, University of Portsmouth

NOAA

NOAA Virtual Morocco

NOAA Virtual Morocco Virtual Darfur

Photo via Flickr from danceinthesky Linden Gallery of Resident Art

Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School University of Portsmouth

Harvard Law School University of Portsmouth University of Plymouth

Harvard Law School University of Portsmouth University of Plymouth Genome Genome

Iowa State University: Blooms Taxonomy

Students’ thoughts on learning in a virtual world …

Best thing about Second Life? “ Interactivity to explore, relative freedom of expression and overall thoroughly enjoyable.” “ Different from the norm...”

Worst thing about SecondLife? “ Found myself spending most of the time trying to accomplish basic tasks, rather than complete the coursework assignment.” “ Playability was not very good in comparison to other computer games.”

When should/shouldn’t we use SL? “ I don’t believe it should be used at all, puts experienced users at a massive disadvantage to nonexperienced users.” “ Online meetings in SL was a bonus.”

Other comments. “ I thought SL was even more irritating to use than flash within Edcom.” “ Definitely a positive part of the course.”

Second Life and other platforms

Resources

Video Clips Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMGR9q43dag&feature=related Educational Uses of Second Life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA&feature=related Introduction to Second Life http://www.virtualworldsvideo.com/video/Introduction-to-Second-Life-2 Watch the World(s) http://youtube.com/watch?v=LxVDVggLqsA How to make a gift box... happy holidays! - SL TuTORial http://youtube.com/watch?v=876wwYv6Tf0 NMC in Second Life ® http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9VZKTT6gZ8

Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMGR9q43dag&feature=related

Educational Uses of Second Life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA&feature=related

Introduction to Second Life http://www.virtualworldsvideo.com/video/Introduction-to-Second-Life-2

Watch the World(s) http://youtube.com/watch?v=LxVDVggLqsA

How to make a gift box... happy holidays! - SL TuTORial http://youtube.com/watch?v=876wwYv6Tf0

NMC in Second Life ® http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9VZKTT6gZ8

Books Creating Your World: The Official Guide to Advanced Content Creation for Second Life by Aimee Weber, Kimberly RuferBach & Richard Platel (2007) John Wiley & Sons ISBN-13: 978-0470171141 I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life by Mark Stephen Meadows (2008) New Riders ISBN-13 : 978-0321533395 101 Uses for Second Life in the College Classroom by Megan S. Conklin: http://facstaff.elon.edu/mconklin/pubs/glshandout.pdf

Creating Your World: The Official Guide to Advanced Content Creation for Second Life by Aimee Weber, Kimberly RuferBach & Richard Platel (2007) John Wiley & Sons ISBN-13: 978-0470171141

I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life by Mark Stephen Meadows (2008) New Riders ISBN-13 : 978-0321533395

101 Uses for Second Life in the College Classroom by Megan S. Conklin: http://facstaff.elon.edu/mconklin/pubs/glshandout.pdf

Websites – Getting Going http://secondlife.com/ Joining SL: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=ddpfmbxr_683gt5h2&hl=en Joining via NMC: http://sl.nmc.org/join/ Second Life ToolKits Project: http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~chandler/HEA-ICS/ Enterprise 3.D Living and Working in Virtual Worlds http://www.slideshare.net/rooreynolds/enterprise-3d-living-and-working-in-virtual-worlds/

http://secondlife.com/

Joining SL: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=ddpfmbxr_683gt5h2&hl=en

Joining via NMC: http://sl.nmc.org/join/

Second Life ToolKits Project: http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~chandler/HEA-ICS/

Enterprise 3.D Living and Working in Virtual Worlds http://www.slideshare.net/rooreynolds/enterprise-3d-living-and-working-in-virtual-worlds/

Education Websites Edumuve.com: http://edumuve.com/tour/ Eduserv Foundation: http://www.eduserv.org.uk/foundation/sl.aspx RezEd: The Hub for Learning and Virtual Worlds http://www.rezed.org/ The SaLamander Project: http://www.eduisland.net/salamanderwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page SimTeach: Information and Community for Educators using M.U.V.E.'s: http://www.simteach.com/ Second Life in Education: http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/educationaluses Silversprite’s Slideshow of UK HE & FE in SL ® http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversprite/sets/72157603982005324/show/

Edumuve.com: http://edumuve.com/tour/

Eduserv Foundation: http://www.eduserv.org.uk/foundation/sl.aspx

RezEd: The Hub for Learning and Virtual Worlds http://www.rezed.org/

The SaLamander Project: http://www.eduisland.net/salamanderwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

SimTeach: Information and Community for Educators using M.U.V.E.'s: http://www.simteach.com/

Second Life in Education: http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/educationaluses

Silversprite’s Slideshow of UK HE & FE in SL ® http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversprite/sets/72157603982005324/show/

Blogs Wagner James Au’s New World Notes http://nwn.blogs.com/ Metanomics http://metanomics.net/ NMC Campus Observer http://sl.nmc.org/ Second Life Research http://secondliferesearch.blogspot.com/ Intellagirl’s Ubernoggin http://www.ubernoggin.com/ SLED Blog http://www.sl-educationblog.org/ Roo Reynold’s and Ian Hughes’s eightbar http://eightbar.co.uk/

Wagner James Au’s New World Notes http://nwn.blogs.com/

Metanomics http://metanomics.net/

NMC Campus Observer http://sl.nmc.org/

Second Life Research http://secondliferesearch.blogspot.com/

Intellagirl’s Ubernoggin http://www.ubernoggin.com/

SLED Blog http://www.sl-educationblog.org/

Roo Reynold’s and Ian Hughes’s eightbar http://eightbar.co.uk/

Mailing Lists SLED – SL Educators https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators Slrl – Second Life Research http://list.academ-x.com/listinfo.cgi/slrl-academ-x.com

SLED – SL Educators https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators

Slrl – Second Life Research http://list.academ-x.com/listinfo.cgi/slrl-academ-x.com