In the evolutionary map of web practice, the advent of virtual worlds such as Second Life is a logical next step.
Consider the trajectory of web-enabled communication, evolving from the 2D text and graphics web pages of the 90’s, then to audio and video streaming and the advent of always-on chat rooms and instant messaging. More recently, the rise of 2.0 web applications such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, YouTube and MySpace, have produced the mediate yourself phenomenon, providing not only user-generated content but also the means to build massive social networks, the effect of which is only just beginning to be understood.
Concurrently, the ‘flat web’ is being challenged by ‘3D Web’. We see this in the mirror-world technologies of Google Earth and Microsoft’s Virtual Earth. Both are being primed for the development of location specific information and 3D object layering. This development comes at a time when social network web sites too, are becoming increasingly graphic.
Second Life represents the next level in these practices for it allows socialisation and collaboration to take place in an online spatial world, with users co-located on the screen, seeing the same thing.
It is not hard to foresee a time when Digital Earth along with social network sites may well mimic 3D synthetic worlds like Second Life, particularly if avatars were to enter the picture. Almost everything other than unformed terrain is created by SL residents.
Consider the trajectory of web-enabled communication, evolving from the 2D text and graphics web pages of the 90’s, then to audio and video streaming and the advent of always-on chat rooms and instant messaging. More recently, the rise of 2.0 web applications such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, YouTube and MySpace, have produced the mediate yourself phenomenon, providing not only user-generated content but also the means to build massive social networks, the effect of which is only just beginning to be understood.
Concurrently, the ‘flat web’ is being challenged by ‘3D Web’. We see this in the mirror-world technologies of Google Earth and Microsoft’s Virtual Earth. Both are being primed for the development of location specific information and 3D object layering. This development comes at a time when social network web sites too, are becoming increasingly graphic.
Second Life represents the next level in these practices for it allows socialisation and collaboration to take place in an online spatial world, with users co-located on the screen, seeing the same thing.
It is not hard to foresee a time when Digital Earth along with social network sites may well mimic 3D synthetic worlds like Second Life, particularly if avatars were to enter the picture. Almost everything other than unformed terrain is created by SL residents.
Virtual Environments Enable New Models of Learning
Hundreds of leading universities and school systems around the world use Second Life as a vibrant part of their educational programs. A large - active education community - with hundreds of K-12 and higher education members—are engaged in Second Life. The Open University, Harvard, Texas State and Stanford are just a few of the many universities that have set up virtual campuses where students can meet, attend classes, and create content together.
Second Life has also proven a valuable professional development medium for educators. Organizations such as the NMC have fostered shared learning among educators and are networking, running in-world seminars, conferences and symposia on learning and creativity related to virtual worlds.
Hundreds of leading universities and school systems around the world use Second Life as a vibrant part of their educational programs. A large - active education community - with hundreds of K-12 and higher education members—are engaged in Second Life. The Open University, Harvard, Texas State and Stanford are just a few of the many universities that have set up virtual campuses where students can meet, attend classes, and create content together.
Second Life has also proven a valuable professional development medium for educators. Organizations such as the NMC have fostered shared learning among educators and are networking, running in-world seminars, conferences and symposia on learning and creativity related to virtual worlds.
Second Life Flight Booking Demonstration
Connecting Second Life to a SAP NetWeaver system to create a 3-D Business Process in a Virtual World
