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Virtual Worlds

SECOND LIFE
http://secondlife.com 

What is Second Life?

Watch this video to find out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMGR9q43dag&feature=related

                                                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZAj8Cg4bLo&NR=1

GETTING STARTED WITH PEAKDAVID WHO HAS 13 TUTORIALS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zAb4XxnVMM

    • Second Life was created in 2003 by Linden Labs- it is free.

    • As stated by its creator, Philip Rosedale (2006) “I’m not building a game, I’m building a whole new country"

    • It is a 3D virtual world developed by their residents.

    • Residents personalize their "avatar" through which they can explore, meet others, socialize, participate in individual or group activities, and create and sell items.

    • It's not a game--there are no winners or losers.

    • In June 2007, Second Life had nearly eight million residents. One year later, it had more than fourteen million.


The Second Life Economy

      • Residents use their "Linden" dollars to pay for goods and services provided by other Residents. The Linden dollar can also be exchanged for U.S. Dollars and other foreign currencies on a number of different websites, About 280 Linden =$1

      • Through this link you can read information that provides an overview of the quantity of SL life users and their economy
      https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2009/04/16/the-second-life-economy--first-quarter-2009-in-detail
      • More information about Business and Marketing in Second Life:

    http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Market_Data_Portal


      Examples of Second Life Usage

      Libraries      :  Using the same tools students use provides the opportunity to support their learning process while they are in an environment they enjoy.
      • Promote and provide libraries services
      • Provide information literacy instruction
      • Support users while they are searching for information
      • Meet new users
      • Avatars + Librarians = Information power in a new world
           Example of libraries or librarians in Second Life

                                          a.http://infoisland.org/

                                          b.http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6338703.html

                                          c. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6JZ8qMv4Ug

                                          d.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fYnplBHSpo&feature=related

                                          e.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTQkzfz5osQ

                                          f. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8dWmxwK8Os&feature=related


          American Library Association in Second Life
        1. http://www.ala.org/ala/newspresscenter/news/pressreleases2009/april2009/campaignworldsconnectsl.cfm
       

          PowerPoint presentations about Libraries in Second Life


      Second Life and Applications in Business:
      • Develop a business
      • Make products
      • Market and sell them
      • Real world experience
      • Platform for developing leadership and management skills
      • Work in virtual teams around the globe

      Articles

       http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jul2007/bs20070724_664068.htm)

      http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/oct07/TL.secondlife.aj.html)

      http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2007/tc20070416_129266.htm

      Second Life and Applications in Education

      Limitations, Challenges & Risks

        Risks: becoming addicted, becoming offended

        Challenges: steep learning curve

        Limitations: online connection, hardware requirements

      The Future of Second Life                        

      Virtual worlds are growing all over the world:

      • The United States accounts for 37 percent of the total number of Second Life users
      • According to Linden Lab, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Brazil, Italy, Canada, Spain, and the Netherlands account for over 44 percent of the world’s users (more than 80 percent of the global user base) According to the May 2008 metrics of Second Life, the traditional student base (ages 18–24) makes up 22.71 percent of those using Second Life.
      • Nontraditional student brackets of ages 25–34 and ages 35–44 make up 35.14 percent and 24.18 percent, respectively, for a total of 59.32 percent.

      Source: Linden Lab, Second Life Virtual Economy Key Metrics (BETA) through May 2008, p. 8, http://s3.amazonaws.com/static-secondlife-com/economy/stats_200805.xls

      • Government agencies (such as NOAA) and programs are offering hazmat or other simulated training. 
      • “The idea of students taking both credit and noncredit classes, and people from all around the world coming together in the same place, at the same time, to work on a shared idea or project—many of these efforts are simply not feasible in the non-digital world."

        Source:  AJ Kelton. Virtual Worlds? "Outlook Good" (EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 43, no. 5 (September/October 2008) http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume43/VirtualWorldsOutlookGood/163161

      • The challenge is to move beyond the idea of virtual worlds as part of only the gaming culture and to expand the way tools like Second Life can be connected to education.

                                    

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2jY4UkPbAc       over 9 minutes

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE       an attention-getting way to focus on changing world

      Great source list of tutorials in different languages 
      http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials#Official_Video_Tutorials