Second Life is very useful for education because so many of us learn by seeing, and by doing. Well now, when you are learning about the "Great Wall of China," you could actually go visit it in Second Life. Their 3D models of these different places are so realistic, it is almost like actually being there. Want to show off the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michaelangelo to your history students? Well now you can by visiting the Sistine Chapel in the Second Life.
Many teachers complain about how hard it is to keep the students' interested in their assignments. Well, if you think about it, what are many of the students in today's world doing when they go home? Playing on their computer, adding music to their ipods, texting, and playing with their playstations. Well, Second Life is great because it is similar to entering into the internet gaming world. Users get to pick an Avatar, choose their clothing, and then explore the many virtual communities and places that Second Life has to offer. What a great way to get your students interested in your class, but still keep it educational!
A teacher by the name of Nik uses Second Life to teach English. She blogged about her teaching experience in Second Life at the following website: http://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/2007/08/teaching-english-in-second-life.html. She found Second Life can be a very useful tool for teaching English. However, this teacher did come across a minor difficulty. She needed to find a way to put the students into groups so that they did not overhear each other while conversing in English. Although, what she did find was that the students seem to enjoy having class in Second Life, and that the class size continuously increased.
In addition to visiting different places in second life, you can also visit and join different communities. These communities can not only be useful for students, but for teachers as well. Second Life can be a great way for educators to collaborate, network, and share best practices with other educators, all over the world! If you visit http://www.slconvention.org you will see that there are actual conventions that are being held for Second Life users. This particular convention is the largest virtual world convention being held online that combines art, business, community events, music, education, and much more.
While I was in Second Life, I visited the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which is, "the trusted source for professional development, knowledge, generation, advocacy, and leadership for innovation." This organization offers a nonprofit membership which provides various leadership services for teachers to improve education and teaching. While I was there, I met the online resident for ISTE. Her name was Maggie Marat. She goes there every Sunday, and she also conducts meetings for the Second Life Edvserse. She helped me join their group, which will be a great source of information for my own personal professional development.
So, if you are interested in exploring Second Life for educational purposes or just for fun, visit http://www.secondlife.com and create your avatar today! You'll be on your way to an awesome 3D virtual experience, and you might just learn something along the way! While your there, look me up, and befriend me. I go by Meschele Marenwolf in the Second Life. I'd love to chat with you, and I hope to see you there!
Second Life in Education Wiki:
http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/
International Society for Technology in Education:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/168/29/30
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Teaching English in Second Life:
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