Second Life: A 3D Multi-User Virtual World

Slide 1: Second Life: A 3D Multi-User Virtual World Simon Bignell s.bignell@derby.ac.uk www.derby.ac.uk

Slide 2: About Second life • Second Life is a widely acclaimed online 3D ‘virtual world’ with hundreds of thousands of users; built and owned by its residents. • Second Life is used as a platform for business and entertainment and has game-like qualities but is not a ‘game’ in itself. • Since 2003, it has grown explosively and now is inhabited by millions of people from around the globe.

Slide 3: About Second life Key points Statistics – Market leader – Total accounts: – Currency exchange 9,296,032 (as at 5/9/07) system – Logged in during the – 530L$ = £1 approx last 60 days – Streaming media 1,553,348 (as at 5/9/07) – Continual development – Avg. approx 40,000 – Voice chatting! – Education discounts – 43% female – Off Shoot ‘Teen Second – Avg. Age 32 Life’

Slide 4: USA • Harvard University • MIT • University of Texas • Francisco State • New York University • Vassar College • Trinity University • University of Buffalo • + many more UK • Derby University • Oxford University • Nottingham University • Staffordshire University • Leicestershire University • Paisley University • Education UK Island

Slide 5: What Can You Do in SL? • • Self -- Your identity Avatar • • Social networks Meet, chat, share • • Exploration Visit, tour, study • • Build Creation tools • • Texture Customise the look • • Animate Movement, gesture • • Script Adds behaviours • • Class projects Classes, office hours • Applied learning

Slide 6: The future lecture theatre? Educational advantages: Creativity, Space, Interactivity, Collaboration, Activity, Tools and Fun!

Slide 7: Diverse Learning Modes Mental Health – Simulation of Schizophrenia Real time live conference with streaming video Education delivery options range from self-paced simulations (left) to streaming video into a virtual classroom or conference (right).

Slide 8: Conferencing in Virtual Environments • Effective • Global • Cheap • Easy • Fun • Innovative • Quick • Media friendly • Streamed • Live

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Slide 10: Highly customisable avatars

Slide 11: Highly customisable avatars

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Slide 14: Education UK Island • http://www.sleducationuk.net • It's an island about education, focussed on the UK educational community. • The space is available to everyone, but the key focus is for UK educationalists from all sectors to participate in the development of the island as a learning environment, – as a play and practice area for educators and as a collaborative space for sharing experiences of learning and teaching in Second Life.

Slide 23: Limitless scope for individualised workplaces

Slide 24: Second Life Educational Community • SLED very active community worldwide. • UK Open University (Schome community). • SLOODLE (Moodle Integration). • Second Life Campus. • EducationUK. • UK is good at using these methods and has a growing community.

Slide 26: VLEs ‘Virtual’ ‘Learning’ ‘Environments’ WebCT, Blackboard, Moodle • Good news – content management, stable. • Bad news – poor interactivity. • Tutor centred not student centred. • Administration not education. Second Life • Good news – interactivity (immersive). • Bad news – poor content management, stability. • Student centred not tutor centred. • Education not Administration (after the learning curve). SL offers a distance education (& communication) platform unmatched by others but it is not perfected (yet).

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Slide 28: What Second Life is good for • Cheap and easy to use 3D simulation with physics and powerful scripting. • Fast prototyping, with simple and effective modelling and programming tools. • Problems can be demonstrated in a controlled environment. • Internet integration (very Web 2.0). • Strong educational support networks

Slide 29: Slide courtesy of Paul Hollins Is this the future of education? THE “METAVERSE” A VISION OF THE FUTURE ?

Slide 30: The Last Slide • Second Life is already: – a valuable blended learning platform – a very immersive communication tool. • Try it out for yourself. Milton Broome’s Blog: http://milton-broome.blogspot.com Simon Bignell – Lecturer in Psychology University of Derby s.bignell@derby.ac.uk