Virtual Worlds

Usually about three minutes into a lecture, I determine whether or not the information is vital before thinking about other things. I feel it is imperative especially in education that there is a variety of delivery methods of learning in a classroom experience. 

In my first semester at UB, my instructor has already used several methods to make learning interactive and interesting. Since we had a lively discussion about Second Life, I thought this would be a great subject to discuss further.  Second Life is software developed by IBM to create communities in a virtual world. Virtual worlds promote learning and transfer from the classroom to real-world settings. There are several types of software running virtual worlds like Active Worlds, Croquet but Second Life at this time seems to be the most popular. 

Second Life software is free so if you are interested in investigating virtual worlds - check it out!  You start by using an avatar which moves by your mouse control and keyboard. The avatar can be personalized to the appearance of your choice. Also, you can communicate by chat or audio via microphone. The economy in Second Life is Linden$$ so you could make a living by creating three dimensional objects. Therefore, you can rent and buy land, develop your social skills and participate in live events (lectures, rock concerts, religious ceremonies or mental health activities). 

Second Life is currently being used at UB in the Simulation and Digital Entertainment course study.  For more information, please feel free to check out the Fall 2008 Alumni Magazine.

Second Life is more than just a game. It is an opportunity to bring interaction to a new level.  When you attend a lecture, listen to a podcast or read a book, your learning is passive.  However, when you are doing something like moving your mouse or clicking on something you are actively participating.  So the learning experience is different.  Each person learns differently.  I learn more from doing something, making a mistake, and learning from it.  However, this approach does give your parents a lot of gray hair. 

Each learning approach whether active or passive plays an integral part in education.  What is unique to Second Life is a place where you can simulate real world experiences in a safe environment.  Currently, I spend a lot of time in Second Life implementing our virtual dental school to our faculty and students at the UMB Dental School.  The UMB Dental School is utilizing Second Life by educating dental hygiene students on infection control, having virtual lectures in the virtual lecture hall, learning how to interact with patients via role playing and educating children and parents in the pediatric field of dentistry. Feel free to check out a video(5 min. 36 sec.) of our virtual dental school and how Second Life is being used.

Virtual worlds come with a lot of excitement, tremendous amount of possibilities and skepticism as to how this tool can be utilized in education.  I think time will only tell as to how long virtual worlds will exist and be an integral part of the educational experience.