Second Life in Education
Dean Groom, Learning and Teaching Centre, Macquarie University SEPT 2009

Learning
about
[anything]
new.

What are Virtual Worlds?
• is an online environment whose “residents”
are known as avatars representing
individuals participating online.
• The functioning of a virtual world can
mirror that of the real world, or it can
allow residents to do such things as fly,
role-play or listen to iLecture together in a
virtual lecture (the list goes on).

New opportunity
• Virtual worlds allow different and new
types of interactions that provide better
educational experiences for some students
• Virtual worlds facilitate “unintentional”
learning, where students discover and
create knowledge not for its own sake but
in order to accomplish something they
want to do, resulting in stronger
comprehension and deeper knowledge.

New experiences
• The low stakes of an online environment
encourage participants to experiment—to
learn by trial and error—in a way not
feasible in the real world. (Safe-Fail)
• Serious games, simulations and scenario
based learning, though instructionally
planned and designed virtual space.

Learning in Second Life
• virtual world created by Linden Labs.
• It is a MUVE - multi-user virtual
environment. Not a ‘game’.
• Goals, activities, use and narrative is
created entirely by the residents (users)
of Second Life - with an edu-purpose
• It is free and open to anyone +18 online

Virtual Worlds exist for pre-school though to adults

Over 200 virtual worlds with +2 million users (each).

Warcraft ... More players than people in New South Wales.

Rise of immersion
• The number one application on Facebook -
is a virtual world game - Farmville
• More Teens play social games that use
social networks (ie Not blogging).
• Second Life has a real economy, with over
1 million residents, making and spending
millions of USD each year - profitably.

SECOND LIFE IS USER DRIVEN.
PROFESSIONAL AMATEUR
The term “amateur” in today’s culture tends to be heard
negatively. But the etymology of “amateur” comes from
the Latin word amator, suggesting something you do for
the love of it. Professionals do something for pay;
amateurs do something out of their passion or love for it.

From Marionettes to Avatars.
http://bit.ly/8fuhy [VIDEO LINK]

EDUCAUSE
An opportunity to engage learners in an immersive
and interactive environment that requires
knowledge, decision making,
and information management skills.

EDUCAUSE
However, the use of immersive learning
environments association with play and fun is
often considered noneducational.

EDUCAUSE
Research suggests that these environments can play a
significant role in facilitating learning through
engagement, group participation, immediate feedback,
and providing real-world contexts.

Macquarie “virtual campus” build Dec 2008.

Staff Meetings
in Virtual Space
2008

Role Play in
Assessment
August 2008

Exploring
urban planning
though simulation
2009

Learning in Virtual Space

curriculum and shared reality.
Quest Atlantis ... Grade 4-7 Virtual Learning

Student Orientation in Second Life

Educational Conference
About Virtual Worlds in Education

How to get here. http://bit.ly/3J3CZ