Mod 4: Second Life Beneficial?
Second Life can be considered a disruptive technology because it –like so many other technological advances of today- replaces face to face interaction with a virtual world. You create an avatar and in a sense reinvent yourself as a new person in a new life. I personally find this bizarre and it makes me wonder if we are moving towards a world where reality is not really reality. A world much like the movie Surrogates where you stay home and your “surrogate” (your robot look a like or not look alike) goes out and experiences the world for you and you experience through them with a device connected to your brain much like a virtual world. What ever happened to the days of real people and real conversations? I must say that Second Life is profitable for those who are interested. CNN Money interviewed a couple who quit their jobs to do it full time- Click the link to view the video- (http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/03/17/n_real_estates_second_life.cnnmoney/). I believe that Second Life is still an emerging technology and has many years to go before it has been displaced by something else. I also believe that this technology could benefit students who are home bound as virtual classroom and high schools would be beneficial. The following video gives some examples of how Second Life can be beneficial in education.
References:
Thornburg,D. (2009) Evolutionary technology Vodcast: In Laureate Education, Inc. Emerging and future technology.
Mary Ann CLT (2010). Educational Uses for Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA
CNN (2010). Second Life’s Real estate Barons [Video]. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/03/17/n_real_estates_second_life.cnnmoney/
Rosedale, P. (2008) Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.
Hi Sherry,
ReplyDeleteExcellent Post! The "Educational Uses for Second Life" video was extremely interesting. I can see Second Life used much more at the secondary and post-secondary levels, while only used for very specific simulations or projects at the elementary level. I completely agree with you about real people having real face-to-face conversations, and especially for our youth who are just beginning to build their communication skills. Thank you also for the CNN video link too!
Sincerely,
LeAnn
Great video !!
ReplyDeleteI too have a hard time wrapping my head around 2nd Life but I do see how those quiet students would really have an opportunity to shine. They may feel more comfortable in this environment.
Cassandra