It is interesting that, on occasion, I encounter people who throw their hands up and see Second Life as another impossible and useless technology, or a game. I am daily overwhelmed by the exciting possibilities of 3D virtual education and although nothing should ever be a substitute for real life, Second Life is a fantastic potential augmentation for many. Second Life incorporates all of the best aspects of distance education into one place. Avatars allow for the human element of personalization that one doesn't get in many of the platforms which makes them feel as though they are really "there" (software-based virtual reality).
We are at the forefront of a technology that is being used now to further education, networking and professional development for librarians. With the future inclusion of real time voice, Second Life offers a platform for a wide range of teaching and learning styles. The lifespan of Second Life is debatable but the usefulness of a 3D Internet is a certainty.
Two Sundays ago, after doing a bit of class work researching virtual community building, unable to attend the real NECC in Atlanta, I attended its virtual counterpart in Second Life where I mingled with and met other Librarians from all over the world. After the social, I visited and pay my respects at the virtual AIDS quilt memorial at the Second Life Pride Fair. I have not been able to see it in real life and the virtual display was a touching and striking, putting real faces to the disease which has claimed so many lives. I finished the evening playing a dice game with four Librarians, SJSU SLIS graduate students with whom I had never had a class and probably would not have met were it not for the Virtual Campus. All of these incredibly important activities done on a Sunday, from the comfort of my home, while spending time with my two young children; I cannot imagine a higher quality education.
We are at the forefront of a technology that is being used now to further education, networking and professional development for librarians. With the future inclusion of real time voice, Second Life offers a platform for a wide range of teaching and learning styles. The lifespan of Second Life is debatable but the usefulness of a 3D Internet is a certainty.
Two Sundays ago, after doing a bit of class work researching virtual community building, unable to attend the real NECC in Atlanta, I attended its virtual counterpart in Second Life where I mingled with and met other Librarians from all over the world. After the social, I visited and pay my respects at the virtual AIDS quilt memorial at the Second Life Pride Fair. I have not been able to see it in real life and the virtual display was a touching and striking, putting real faces to the disease which has claimed so many lives. I finished the evening playing a dice game with four Librarians, SJSU SLIS graduate students with whom I had never had a class and probably would not have met were it not for the Virtual Campus. All of these incredibly important activities done on a Sunday, from the comfort of my home, while spending time with my two young children; I cannot imagine a higher quality education.
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