What is Second Life?
Second Life is a virtual, online world where people interact with others from around the world through 3-D characters they create that represent themselves.
Many colleges and universities have established a presence in Second Life so that they can offer their students simulated environments in which to learn and work.
More than 40 years ago, the founding members of DCCCD's Board of Trustees broke ground on the first of seven colleges that today comprise the DCCCD. In 1965, virtually all teaching and learning at colleges took place in physical classrooms. Now DCCCD has broken ground on their first virtual island.
What will be on DCCCD's island?
DCCCD broke ground on the Second Life island on Thursday, April 3, 2008, and is in the process of fully realizing the potential of Second Life for DCCCD's students.
In the plans for DCCCD's island:
- a community sandbox for visitors to practice their Second Life building skills
- areas for students from participating DCCCD colleges to build and experiment in the virtual space
- areas for colleges to build simulations to share with their students
|
Want to know more about Second Life and DCCCD?
You can:
- contact Montse Anderson, the Second Life Project Manager to get more information on the project
- read more about DCCCD's plans for Second Life in the groundbreaking speech (PDF - 90KB) given by Dr. Steve Mittelstet (avatar name: Sustainable Guy), president of Richland College and Dr. Andrew Jones (avatar name: DrAndu Jonsesford), vice chancellor of Educational Affairs
- talk to a Second Life Steering Team member
|
Who is the face of DCCCD's island?
DCCCD's primary avatar is named Saraswati Serevi. She is named "Saraswati" after the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. Her last name, Serevi, is one of the surnames from the Second Life list. Saraswati is managed by the DCCCD Second Life project manager.
What can Second Life bring to DCCCD?
Second Life promises to provide an exciting learning venue for our students and faculty to learn and demonstrate their progress in focusing all their learning on how to build sustainable local and world community.
Second Life is a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) paired with a free Internet service that allows you to create and manipulate an avatar (a virtual character that represents you). Avatars allow you to walk or fly around a 3-D virtual world wherever you lead them, communicating with others via either text or audio, or manipulating the Second Life environment.
DCCCD is embracing the concept of 3-D simulations in education because they are excellent learning tools. A virtual environment like SL will prove more enticing and more engaging to students growing up in the Internet age than any chalk-and-talk traditional teaching method.
Virtual worlds like Second Life:
- Stimulate the mind to consider other ways of doing and knowing
- Help create “no boundaries mindsets”
- Depict visible models of possibilities (i.e., if you can see it, you can achieve it)
- Place users in totally immersive learning environments
- Encourage participants to take on different perspectives
- Allow for high levels experimentation and risk-taking within a controlled atmosphere.
|
Learn more about Second Life by visiting Second Life online, or visiting links on our resources page.