Second Life Second Chance

My first experience with Second Life didn't go very well. I don't care for the name, which denotes a life apart from the one I live every day. If fact, it sounds a little deviant in a way.

Now I'm taking this Web 2.0 class and I decided to have a second look at second life, giving it a second chance. I downloaded the software, created an account, and started wandering around. After I got comfortable, I tried to go to the FSU Instructional Systems Island, but I couldn't figure out how to land there. Instead, I flew around and visited anywhere I could land.

After a few hours of playing, building a few things on someone else's property, and somehow loosing my hair, I found a place called K-Paradise, Knowledge Kingdom. Then the light bulb went on. While walking around K-Paradise, I found signs with portals I could touch next to them. Whenever I touched a portal, a pop-up window opened with a Wiki containing learning material and information about what was on the sign. I walked around and touched every sign on the island, reading about all sorts of things. I wasn't really interested in most of what I was reading, so I skimmed for general look and feel, but I could see the value of this type of self-directed discovery learning.

I've changed my mind about Second Life somewhat. I landed on a few islands with naked people on them before I realized there were PG and Mature options, which would certainly be an issue without some sort of parental control options for teachers. From an educator standpoint, I can see other ways to reach students, such as the wiki without the Second Life Portal, but I can also see the appeal of learning from a virtual world.

Perhaps, if I can figure out how to get to the FSU IS islands, I'll build a tiki hut with a hammock and stay a while.

Curious about K-Paradise? Check here.