Second Life is a free online virtual world where users interact through avatars. It offers opportunities for engagement, learning, and connection that are difficult to achieve in the real world. Some benefits of using Second Life include more accessible interactions with experts, a sense of presence and place that enhances learning communities, and potentially lower costs compared to other online platforms through reduced rental rates. Educational institutions and organizations are increasingly establishing a presence in Second Life to take advantage of these opportunities.

1. Why Second Life? by Scott Merrick, for Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach Faculty and Staff, Feb. 20, 2009

2. What is Second Life? Officially : “ Second Life is a free online virtual world imagined and created by its Residents. From the moment you enter Second Life, you'll discover a fast-growing digital world filled with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity .” http:// secondlife.com/whatis

3. Dana Gardner, ZDNet : “ What makes Second Life eerily powerful is the zero-distance between thinkers and technology … “ It took about an hour before I finally switched from thinking that my initial experiences with Second Life were a waste of time — to actually finding them being productive in new ways… What was different is that I was a virtual arm's length from some heavy-hitting IBM talent and leadership, and I was able to communicate with them, and learn from them quite well. That is not always the case in the real world, where crowds, noise, location, and the competition can get in the way. There is an egalitarian equalizing effect when your avatar IMs with another … even if you know who they are. There's a comfort level with being virtual, and the IBMers seemed eager to chat with lots of folks. I can see getting better access to executives and the creative minds at IBM in Second Life than I do in real life, and that's a good thing…”

4. Peggy Sheehy: “What does the virtual landscape offer us that is absent from other online learning communities? The answer is that sense of presence, the ambiance of place and connection—that feeling of ‘being there.’ Other distance-learning vehicles may offer flexible time options but are mostly impersonal. The avatar encounter is highly interactive, and interpersonal, providing the same convenience of not having to travel while offering a richer, more immersive, and generally more congenial experience.” From ISTE’s Technology & Learning , February 2009 http ://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/tl_200902/ What is Second Life?

5. Extending our 2D Web presence into 3 dimensions

6. W hat is the CSO Doing in Second Life?

7. E ngaging in dialog with the international community

8. E stablishing name recognition and enhancing our reputation for innovative, effective, practice

9. From Kevin Jarrett at http:// storyofmysecondlife . com E xploring Professional Development Options

16. Why Should You Care? Three Reasons Personal Learning Network

17. From : deangroom @scottmerrick because its more engaging and visually interactive that Elluminate (press the mic button), put your hand up, etc. onlineteacher @scottmerrick Simple ... either become part of the future of education or disappear with the past ... its happening folks! My $0.02 *:-) Me: am working on my one shot at explaining to my folks at » link to scienceoutreach.org , in just one hour, why they should be interested in Second Life. Input?

18. Why Should You Care? Three Reasons Other universities and organizations are leaving us in the virtual dust

19. For Example: UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES & SCHOOLS NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (Non-Profit / Not For profit) EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (Private / For profit) LIBRARIES MUSEUMS From Simteach.com

20. Why Should You Care? Three Reasons Long Reach/ Cost Effectiveness

21. Our initial presence in Second Life is a rental offered at a greatly reduced rate by my friend and colleague Kathy Schrock, Discovery Educator , Apple Educator, and much much more, including innovative owner of Lighthouse Learning Island, where our virtual HQ resides. $300 has leased us a gracious plenty of “property” through the academic school year 2010. My hope is that we trial-run a number of projects before the end of that time that will justify further investment of time an resources, toward establishing a pre-eminence in the field of distance education outreach facilitated by Virtual Environments. Let’s look at a few things: ISTE in Second Life video New ISTE virtual talk show: ISTE eduverse talks http://slcn.tv/iste-eduverse-talks-connecting-real-and-virtual-campuses Our Headquarters in Second Life—” SLurl ” More if there is time—ISTE Virtual Room, MUVErs Orientation, MUVErs virtual hospital and John’s classroom space in the sky, SLoodle video Wiki address: http://csotalktalks.wikispaces.com

22. This just in yesterday!

23. Important Links American Chemical Society—Molecules in Second Life (watch the video) Oh! Virtual Learning! Blog (news from Scott) SLeducation Blog (Scott is a contributing writer) ISTE in Second Life (video we watched earlier) ISTE in Second Life Video (Scott’s video Ning) ISTE eduverse talks (ISTE bi-weekly talk show) ”New Tools” VoiceThread (a stellar presentation) Sledupotential Wiki (from last year’s NECC) http://drexel-coas-talks-mp3-podcast.blogspot.com/2008/04/lise08-talk-on-second-life-in-chemistry.html http://scottsecondlife.blogspot.com http://www.sl-educationblog.org/ http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/membership/member_networking/iste_second_life.htm