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Second Life

Second Life at a Glance

• In short: A 3D world with fully customizable avatars and a built-in scripting and building language. Users imagine and create all sorts of objects, including educational simulations and real-world products for sale.
• URL: http://www.secondlife.com
• Maintained by: Linden Lab since June 2003
• Price: Free basic accounts. Premium accounts are $9.95, which allows one to own land on which you can build upon.
• Second Life system requirements
• Platforms supported: Windows, Mac

Second Life Overview

Second Life (or SL for short) is a 3D online virtual world that is “imagined, created, and owned by its residents.” The software is a free download and basic membership is free. Second Life is a collaborative virtual environment in which residents can socialize, meet other real people, go exploring, participate in events and various activities, and create and barter user-created items and services. There are no winners or losers or predefined quests to complete. It is a virtual world that has been described as a builder’s world, open to exploration and limited only by one’s creativity.

The virtual currency in Second Life is the Linden Dollar. The exchange rate of Linden Dollars to US Dollars is generally about $260-$300 Linden Dollars per US Dollar. More than $1.1 million US dollars is exchanged within Second Life every day.

More than 9 million accounts have been registered, although many seem to be inactive. Many corporations have built islands within Second Life, including Dell, Nissan, IBM, and many others.

Educational Uses of Second Life

Second Life has been hailed by many for its educational potential. Many colleges and universities have purchased islands within Second Life and have built virtual campuses inside. To date, over 74 schools have already built virtual campuses. See SimTeach’s for a list of Second Life virtual campuses. Others have built informal learning exhibits, or proof-of-concept educational simulations (e.g. the Heart Murmur Simulation). There is a listserve for educators who wish to use Second Life for formal education.

This video provides many examples of current Science Learning Opportunities within Second Life, including real-time visualizations, hands-on genomics simulations, ARC Research Center’s 3-D anatomy exhibits, and New Media Consortium’s clinical simulation modules.

Second Life Screenshots

Second Life Resources (Note: we are not responsible for the content on these external pages)

• SimTeach Wiki - Linden Lab’s official resource for educators in Second Life.
• Corporations in Second Life - A list of corporations with islands in Second Life, including Adidas, BMW, Dell, Kraft, Nissan, Reuters, Sears, Toyota, and others.