SL: Changing Lives for the Better

We who are able-bodied and can get around in RL, may not feel how SL has particularly impacted us. But a group of 9 folks with cerebral palsy in Dorchester, Massachusetts have discovered how empowering and liberating it is to be able at last to do what they've always wanted to do, through SL.

Wilde Cunningham is an avatar created by these 9 people; he lives in a world where he can fly, snowboard, ski and do the things his creators are never going to be able to do. Viewing this video I realized how powerful SL can be in bringing laughter, fun and healing to such folks.

The avatar on the left is one of a lady with multiple sclerosis who now runs a home goods store and is a wedding planner inworld. Cool!

What Journalists Make of SL

Hype and Backlash for Second Life Miss the Bigger Picture
MediaShift. Blog by Mark Glaser, 2:19PM

Apparently, journalists have spun quite a hype around SL and just as quickly is tearing down without knowing much about it. Not having spent enough time inworld themselves, they were just relying on reviews by other journalists.

To quote one journalist, Daniel Terdiman:

...SL’s biggest weakness is the difficulty that newbies have when they first check out the world. “What happened was that it was really sexy to see Fortune 500 companies going into what most people see as a game,” Terdiman said. “But I don’t think there was a lot of depth to the coverage. I don’t think anyone bothered to ask the question, ‘Why are they doing it?’ ‘How are they doing it?’ and ‘Are they doing it properly?’…Second Life is very hard to use, and it’s very hard to find things to do there. It takes more work than most people who are writing on deadline have time to do. The problem with Second Life is that it’s extremely difficult to use, which is why so many people sign up, try it, and never come back.”

Is there a steep learning curve? Maybe.

Whyville, Sims, SL etc

Darn, I missed the event that took place a month ago on what kids are learning in virtual worlds. Fortunately, here's the link to the aggregate post with hyperlinks to the transcript, audio, and video posts that have been made of the event.

USC is leading the pack in terms of research in SL. When I was writing the final paper for my summer course, they had just then received a $550,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation to study the role of philanthropy in virtual worlds.

I have yet to explore Whyville and the Sims world. Bob was asking about what I want for Christmas -- maybe I'll tell him to get me the Sims vid game.

Barriers to student learning in SL

I have over 2000 emails in my SLED listserv that I haven't read; about 120 emails in SLresearch listserv for graduate students to plough through. However, I can't delete them because there are goodies to be found. At a glance, there are some threads that are really helpful, like the one in this subject line.

Here is what the author and follow contributors mention (SLED listserv, authors: Irene)

Potential barriers to student use of SL for learning:
No technology (computer, internet)
Insufficient technology (need computer upgrades like processor or graphics card or faster internet connection) Technology preparation (downloading the SL client and other software such as
Quicktime)
Getting registered in SL
Logging in to SL
Orientation - learning to walk, fly, teleport and search Modifying personal appearance (to at least be wearing some clothes, if staying as a human) Navigating to a specific location in SL using coordinates Landmarking/Bookmarking locations for easy return in the future Using a SLURL to directly access a specific location Dealing with bad behavior of other avatars (fly, teleport away or mute the person or object) How to read notecards How to make notecards What to do if you fall into a spot and get stuck (fly, teleport etc to get
out)
How to use the manipulatives the teacher has built in the SL environment

Another contributor has this to say - RILug:
"...unlike World of Warcraft, for example where the average age is 18-25, the average age on Second Life is between 25-40 [I heard that stat at a conference I attended last month]. Why? simply because it is more of a 'chat forum' than it is a game. When I first discovered second life about 8 months ago, my son who is 19 looked at me like I had lost it. He said he knew about sl all along from chat forums on world of warcraft which he avidly plays, and that second life to him/them represents two words: sex and boooo-ring. This same attitude is what I got from my college students."

Well, I must say RILug's students are not entirely wrong because businesses are tapping on the potential of SL for marketing and publicity purposes. So it seems more like an "adult" thing.

Catching up on VW again

I have been busy with so many things - work, reporting for church newsletter for a couple of months, friends, family, etc).... I need to find some time to get back on track on my research about the 3D world. Fortunately, I subscribe to tons of stuff that I can refer to. Here are just a few to read:

Chat History from Virtual Worlds Hot Topic Discussion - EDUCAUSE Annual Conference 2007 in Seattle

EDTECH 597: Teaching & Learning in Second Life

The Chronicle of Higher Ed Live Discussions: Getting an Academic Life in SL. Thurs, 10/11/07, 12noon. EST.