Second Life Week 10

 This week I took a stroll along Renaissance Island. This seemed to be a virtual Renaissance fair. I was, upon telephoning in, greeted by a brown horse who kindly offered to give me a guided tour. I respectfully declined and wandered about the island on my own.

Upon further exploration I discovered a jousting ring fully equipped with a bracket and score board. I was extremely interested to see what these games actually look like in Second Life and how they play out. As I thought this I suddenly wished I had not declined the horses offer. 

I did find a video tutorial link to what appears to be a delightful turn-based fencing game that can be played in Second Life. I've included the video below:

After mucking about in the 16th century I decided to join a group. I found a very interesting organization which has dedicated itself to the propagation of immersive education. Primarily they seem to deal with providing immersive educational experiences for use by corporations, museums, and universities. They also provide training and certification programs as well as conferences. 

Second Life Impressions

I was thoroughly impressed with Second Life and found the session with Gentle Huron to be enlightening. It was wonderful to hear the stories of those who found hope within Second Life. It is clear that the platform is great for giving people with disabilities a literal "Second Life." I'm also finding the platform to excel at being an open meeting and conference space for secondary and higher education. This virtual world also shows potential in acting as a virtual museum, the audio tour systems I found at several sights were particularly impressive.

I still can't see Second Life or Open Sim really having a significant place in public elementary education anytime soon for several reasons. One, the technological limitations of most classrooms cannot meet the demands of the program, that or the devices available (Ipads/Chromebooks) cannot use the software.

The interface is a little too complex, both in building and managing an inventory. In a few short hours of playing I had already amassed folders worth of notecards and objects. This may be difficult to navigate through for younger students. It also seems difficult to use many objects in any way other than wearing. For instance, in the Winter Safety Game I had received several items, but then could not use them in any discernible way to change the environment or game events. The cat liter would have been great on the hill.

I think someday there might be real potential, If we could somehow mold Minecraft and Second Life into a virtual world accessible on all devices that would be amazing.

Pompie House Museum. Had a wonderful audio-tour experience.

Making a wish at the Zoltar Machine in the The State Fair.
The next day my avatar turned into Tom Hanks. 

BLAST OFF!! Only one brave Kerbal sacrificed his life for this mission.