Archive for August, 2007
Second Life Education Workshop 2007 Proceedings
The third annual Second Life Community Convention (SLCC2007) was held on August 24-26 in Chicago, a conference where over 800 enthusiasts of the virtual world gather and share ideas and best practices. How popular has making use of the virtual environment Second Life for educational purposes become? The size of the proceedings, three times as large as last years (118 pages!) should be a good indication. The preface notes that membership on the Second Life Educators Listserv grew from 500 members in 2006 to 3900 this past year.
These proceedings serve as a snapshot of the state of education in Second Life as it is today. It includes “exemplar case studies illustrating how institutional issues in establishing Second Life can be overcome and a number of examples showing how the platform is being adapted to support learning in a wide range of fields and with diverse groups of learners.” It is notable that the sciences and arts are both well represented, demonstrating the breadth of interest and content found in the community of educators that use Second Life.
Selected highlights include Global Kids Inc. Best Practices for Using Virtual Worlds for Education, various ways educators have taught nutrition, emergency preparedness training, the environment, creative arts. etc.
Read the Second Life Education Workshop Proceedings here.
Zwinktopia
Zwinktopia at a Glance
- In short: A world targeted for teenagers featuring customizable 2D avatars, dorm rooms and other locations, and games to earn Zbucks.
- URL: http://www.zwinky.com/
- Maintained by: IAC Search and Media since April 2007.
- Price: Free
- Zwinktopia System Requirements: Flash-supported browser
View this virtual environment »