Second life question

I swear, I did not make this up. Here’s an email I got from an ex co-worker of mine:

Nedine writes:

Question for you: I have been reading about Second Life being used in education and wondered what your thoughts were on the matter and if you have any examples of how it is used in a school setting (I have only read about college uses).

Thank you!
Nedine

Hey Ned!!

It’s nice to hear from you! 

I installed second life on some of the computers in the lab last year….it’s really great fun.

Here are my “thoughts on the matter”:

1) 2nd life would be a kick-butt teaching tool with the following understandings:

...you must have razor-sharp teaching objectives - THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - you need to be able to say, without any hesitation, exactly what these kids are going to be getting from this teaching unit (tie it in to state learning objectives, blah blah blah).

...it will take a bit longer than traditional teaching strategies (lecturing)

...2nd life has a special “place” for education activities…you should contact 2nd life about setting up an island (think about safety)

...you are not alone! there are other educators who are using Second Life.

...you are conscious of in-game communication between students….you want the in-world experience to be different than their normal world-experience. Throw them into different-ability different clique groups. Be wary of cyber-bullying - many kids don’t “get” what they say online impact real life.  I always told kids “follow the same rules online as you do in school”. 

...you get technical issues out of the way…Second life works on OS X, just make sure all the techie stuff is handled before you start.

2) There are reasons we use computer games to teach, Nedine. The major point is motivation. Your kids will be incredibly motivated as they interact with this game in this lesson. Pay special attention to those students who don’t normally participate in class or participate at the margins of class. They will be involved!  This is also why your lesson must be clear - you are harnessing powerful energy.

3) The other unique aspect of computer games is the whole “other self” thing.  David Williamson Shaffer talks about this eloquently, but here’s the gist: when a learner can imagine themselves as someone else they understand the world and the context in a totally new way.  For example, we can talk about life in ancient greece, but if we play it as a citizen of this world, we understand it differently. If we take on the role of person, and face the decisions and challenges they had to face, we understand it. Playing the “role” of a doctor informs a student what life is (and will be) like for that doctor. 

4) What could you not teach in second life? Throw some lesson objectives (give me your most difficult subject-area) and we’ll come up with some cool lesson plans.

5) Let them play.  Just them them fly (you can fly in second life) and let them explore.  It’s a fascinating world.

6) Have a grading rubric, again, with clear objectives and measures. 

Please visit the research section in my games in education section on my blog. I’m updating it with some very hands-on and friendly ideas.

Um, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’m blogging this. It’s way to cool not to share with other people.

On 06 February 2007, Silke inscribed the following thoughts about this post:

Hi Bill - useful pointers not just for teachers; WFP is setting up a Second Life presence under the “Fight Hunger” banner. Thanks! Silke