I believe that Second Life could be seen as a disruptive force because its introduction could cause the displacement of other technologies. In looking at Second Life I must look at it from an educator's viewpoint and I feel that Second Life should not be seen as disruptive but as a tool that can be combined with other technological tools to aid in student success. In particular, my focus is on the benefits of Second Life on special needs students. Some special needs students struggle or have deficiencies in social skills and in social settings. Second Life is the perfect tool to use as a role modeling tool to show them the proper ways to interact with one another in a non-confrontational environment. By utilizing Second Life in the classroom it would allow these students to interact using various scenarios. Second Life could also be used in the general education classroom as well, especially with the many funding issues facing our schools. The use of virtual field trips could be utilized or virtual interviews with people from different parts of the country and the world. It opens up so many possibilities while staying financial feasible. Just as with other technology I am sure that sooner rather than later Second Life will be replaced by a more advanced technological tool in the near future. The key with these technological tools is to use them while they are still current and learn the ins and outs of their applications.
http://secondlife.com/destinations/learning
Brandi,
ReplyDeleteBeing in public K-12 sector of education, I really do not see Second Life being all that disruptive either. In fact, I struggle to see the applications especially for any public core-curriculum subjects other than computer technology courses. Now in a hybrid charter school or online virtual environment, I could see Second Life disrupting current instructional methods. I feel the dynamics of Second Life should be interesting enough to replace or at least compliment much of the text-based interface included in education modules. I am excited to see what kind of upgrades that can be made to Second Life, especially after Web 3.0 decides to hit critical mass. Certainly, the future of virtual worlds is quite bright. Good work.
Tim
Brandi,
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to stop thinking about Second Life ever since I watched the video about it. I agree with you with all the ways it could be utilized in education - in K-12, special ed, and higher education which is my field. I hadn't thought of field trips, but that is an excellent idea of how it could be used to give students interactive experiences in places the school districts cannot afford to physically send them. The possibilities for Second Life-type technology is endless!
AJ