Re: Second Life--game or virtual reality?

Only recently have I started to wander Second Life as we (USC's library 
school) now have a library there.  (For experienced second lifers, it's on 
eduisland).  I am now of the opinion that "game" is far too limiting a 
concept.  Virtual reality is much more to the point.  Yes, there are those 
who play games in SL just as there are those who play games at a local 
coffee house.  You can do anything in Second Life.  

Why would one want to, you might ask?  Well, I am considering when to move 
distance ed discussions to second life.  One of the problems with web-
based discussion is that the online meeting and classroom systems just 
don't do too well if one wants to see the participants.  Yes, we could use 
web cams for a bunch of students but not twenty or thirty-five or more. 
Having all those windows of faces open just wouldn't allow enough space 
for the things we need to look at.  And a cacaphony of multiple 
microphones isn't a very good thing either with ambient noise where each 
student is located being broadcast to all.

Right now, I use webcam/mic out and chat in for the students.  It works 
fairly well but it is very difficult to encourage class participation or 
to call on individuals.  You just can't "see" the raised hands and curious 
looks.  And names labelling single-line communications just aren't as 
memorable as actual people.  So, what to do?

In second life, each student can build an avatar that looks like them (or 
what they'd prefer to look like).  The student could make the avatar 
shrug, raise its hand, talk (using mic or chat box), etc.  I can have a 
screen or whiteboard for demonstations, etc., and each student would "see" 
the class from his/her own avatar's perspective.  Now they just see me, in 
a little box, looking like a blue fish (cheap webcam).  In second life 
they could see their fellow students, overcoming a great deal of the 
distance in distance education and encouraging more collaborative learning.

Right now, not all our students have the kind of highspeed internet access 
an machine strength to do this in the required courses but already one of 
my colleagues requires it in her medical informatics course.

Wordily yours,
Heidi

[Opinions expressed here are mine alone and not to be attributed to the 
University of South Carolina.]

HEIDI LEE HOERMAN 
SCHOOL OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE 
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, COLUMBIA, SC 29205 
EMAIL: heidihoerman@... 
URL: www.heidihoerman.com 

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