It’s time for a Second Life: Resources dedicated to the virtual world

Abstract

There's no doubt we are living in a digital world. Almost everyone's got a cell phone pasted to their ear; words such as texting, Facebook, and Google have become common parlance; iPods are ubiquitous; and laptops have become de rigueur in many classrooms. In order to connect with students who are more comfortable hitting the mouse than hitting the books, many educators and organizations have begun to explore the possibilities of using virtual worlds as teaching tools. Currently, the most popular virtual world being used in this way is Second Life (SL). SL is a virtual world, created entirely by its residents, that now boasts more than 15 million users from around the globe. Each participant creates a customizable avatar to represent himself or herself in the SL world, and avatars can travel throughout SL and interact with others in real-time via voice or texting. In SL you can also own land, build environments, explore areas built by others, run your own store, walk, run, dance, shop — almost anything you can do in your first life ... and more, because in SL you can also fly, teleport and instantaneously change shape, gender, etc. SL also has its own unit of trade, the Linden Dollar, which can be used to buy and sell goods and services. A basic account in SL is free, but in order to own land you must sign up for a premium account. For those interested in investing a larger amount of money, individual islands can be purchased. Many organizations and universities now own islands in SL including: ALA and the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science. SL runs on an open source platform created by Linden Lab. Soon after its public debut in 2003, many educational organizations began to discover the learning and networking opportunities SL could provide, and it is now used by organizations all across the world to hold conferences, conduct research, and advertise products. Educational institutions are using the platform to conduct in-world classes, to keep in touch with distance-learners and alumni, and to help new students orient themselves to campus life. The building capabilities in SL allow for myriad modeling and design projects, and there are numerous areas that have been created to replicate real-life campuses, cities, cathedrals, and theaters. For example, avatars can now visit the Glidden Campus of Northern Illinois University, attend an in-world Shakespearean production at The Globe Theatre, fly through Stonehenge, or wander the streets of Krakow. Linden Lab has also created a Teen Grid that is solely for users ages 13 to 17. The Teen Grid works just like the regular Second Life Grid, but is actively monitored to keep out material that is inappropriate for teenagers. Educators are discovering that SL opens up learning potential for those who might be considered differently-abled. People with limited mobility, for example, are finding new freedom in their ability to walk and fly in SL and, in fact, some applications are now being developed to