Thinking EdTech: Second, but not Last

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Second, but not Last

Even though I have been a member of the Second Life community for about a year, I have not been active "in-world" much during that time. Over the past year, several well-known educational technologists have set up shop in Second Life, legitimizing the emerging technology in the minds of many. Some of the early adopters include ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology), Kathy Schrock, David Warlick, and Will Richardson.

I logged into Second Life yesterday to explore the space a bit more and possibly visit some of these early adopters. The last place I had been in SL was the Best Practices Conference room, which took place a few weeks ago. Since the conference was over and the venue closed, I was informed that my avatar would be moved to another area close by. I think I was moved to a "mature" area of Second Life - the other people in that area kept pushing my avatar around (I think "bumping" is the SL term for that) and chatting in another language. Transportation is a breeze in a virtual world, though, so I typed in EduIsland II in the search feature and teleported out of there as quickly as I could.

In EduIsland II, I felt more comfortable experimenting with my appearance. I learned how to change the color and style of my hair and adjust my body shape to be a more realistic representation of my physical appearance. I also learned how to shorten my jeans to capri length (more appropriateThe first place that I visited after a little body sculpting was AECT's SL headquarters. Although the place was vacant during my visit, I took a look around at some of the initiatives advertised in the center and figured out how to reach out a touch for a free t-shirt.

The next place that visited was ISTE's SL headquarters. Based in Oregon, I figured that it was probably a bit early on the West coast for anyone else to be around during my visit. I was able to get two free virtual t-shirts at this stop as well as some information about Second Life geared toward educators. There is much more that I could have seen at this location and plan to visit many more times in future in-world journeys. I may not be the first to explore educational applications of Second Life, but I doubt that I will be the last.

Labels: MUVE, SecondLife

posted by SG @ 4:00 PM

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