Erik explores his new avatar and the virtual world of Second Life. He customizes the appearance of his avatar and then teleports to Empire Island to explore the activities. Erik is interested in the educational potential of Second Life for hesitant learners but also finds the recreational aspects amusing. He contemplates jumping from a swing at its highest point for fun.

1. E R I K C H O C I A N O W S K I
L E A R N I N G W I T H E M E R G I N G T E C H N O L O G I E S : T H E O R Y A N D P R A C T I C E
ERIK’S JUMP INTO
SECOND LIFE

2. MY AVATAR
• Here is my avatar. He is a little androgynous I think.
I changed his features and then I think I changed
them back accidentally. I will “play” with his
appearance soon.

3. EXPLORING
• I went to some other islands first when I initially
created my avatar and saw some of the activities
that take place in Second Life. I then went to the
Empire Island (teleported via http link). That’s
me, looking very comfortable in the theater.

4. FOOD!
• I’m still playing. I found this food in a building and
I’m curious how all of these objects interact with my
character. Am I hungry?

5. CONTEMPLATION
• I am very interested in the educational uses of this
program. There is definite value in just the medium
alone for hesitant learners. This is pretty cool!

6. …AND ALWAYS TIME FOR PLAY
• And the recreational value is also very amusing. All
I have to figure out is how to jump of this while the
swing is at its apex and then we will be having some
fun!