Disruptive Power of Second Life
Does Second Life have the power to be a disruptive technology by creating a virtual world that allows us to reinvent ourselves and be anyone or anything we want to be? We are social creatures and the experience of creating; consuming and exploring information in the virtual world is inherently a social behavior that many people want to experience (Rosedale, 2008). Second Life allows you to be creative; you can test ideas before implementing them in real life.
As an elementary media specialist I do not see Second Life as a disruptive technology yet, mostly because it is prohibited from student use, not to say that it could be allowed someday soon. One research article I found only explored using Second Life in a secondary school setting enacting role playing while simulating negotiation skills based on globalization issues (Ho, 2010). Elementary age student could benefit from virtual role playing as well; but they are not commonly use in school settings. Virtual worlds outside of school like Tootsville appear to be more widely used for younger students.
Second Life has many social benefits for Second Life and other virtual worlds allowing experiences that are rarely possible or impossible in every facet of life. The social implications of virtual worlds in education provide opportunities for field trips that would never be possible for students to visit in reality and also in the medical field opportunities for people with physical disabilities to participate in activities they never thought they would experience (Krueger, 2008).
References
Ho, C.M.L. (2010). What’s in a question? The case of students’ enactment in the second life virtual world. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 151-176.
Krueger, A. (2008). Innovation in Second Life [Video]. http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2008/10/second-life.html
Does Second Life have the power to be a disruptive technology by creating a virtual world that allows us to reinvent ourselves and be anyone or anything we want to be? We are social creatures and the experience of creating; consuming and exploring information in the virtual world is inherently a social behavior that many people want to experience (Rosedale, 2008). Second Life allows you to be creative; you can test ideas before implementing them in real life.
As an elementary media specialist I do not see Second Life as a disruptive technology yet, mostly because it is prohibited from student use, not to say that it could be allowed someday soon. One research article I found only explored using Second Life in a secondary school setting enacting role playing while simulating negotiation skills based on globalization issues (Ho, 2010). Elementary age student could benefit from virtual role playing as well; but they are not commonly use in school settings. Virtual worlds outside of school like Tootsville appear to be more widely used for younger students.
Second Life has many social benefits for Second Life and other virtual worlds allowing experiences that are rarely possible or impossible in every facet of life. The social implications of virtual worlds in education provide opportunities for field trips that would never be possible for students to visit in reality and also in the medical field opportunities for people with physical disabilities to participate in activities they never thought they would experience (Krueger, 2008).
References
Ho, C.M.L. (2010). What’s in a question? The case of students’ enactment in the second life virtual world. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 151-176.
Krueger, A. (2008). Innovation in Second Life [Video]. http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2008/10/second-life.html
Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life. [Video] Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html
Second Life Image: Retrived from http://www.freebase.com/view/en/second_life
You write that elementary age children may benefit from virtual worlds, yet Second life is prohibited in the schools. Do you see your role as media specialist as being an advocate for having this technology accepted and accessible in the elementary schoold environment?
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