Second Life

 Education in Second Life

Second Life is used as an educational forum by a variety of institutions, such as schools, hospitals, libraries, and government departments. There are over a hundred regions used for instructional purposes, including topics such as chemistry and English. Second Life teachers and scholars prefer it because it is more private than conventional distance learning. 

The research reported in 2007 indicated that growth, teaching, and/or learning practices using Second Life was present in more than 80 percent of UK universities. As of 2008, at least 300 universities around the world have been offering SL courses or doing research.

Avatars can communicate with each other and with things and environments within SL. SL provides enormous artistic ability in that users can create content in the virtual world, including houses, landscapes, and artifacts. Psychology teachers should use SL as a place to reach students and create laboratories, structures, and artifacts that can be used to study the material and techniques of psychology. The involvement of students with the material of the course and the sense of community with the class can be strengthened by SL experiences. Potential disadvantages include the time needed for learning and the technical challenges inherent in the implementation of the curriculum.

An avatar I created with Second Life.