Second Life Virtually Changes Education

Virtual worlds might seem like a game for tech savvy teens, but at The University of Georgia, a virtual world aficionado is educating professors about the benefits of utilizing Second Life in the classroom.

Today, David Miller, from the Center for Teaching and Learning, introduced two of the university's Second Life projects and explained avatars, islands and Linden Dollars. Second Life is a free virtual world built by its members who can create anything from schizophrenia simulators to replicas of the Sistine Chapel.

The Center of Teaching and Learning leads lectures that cover different education topics to help insure that university continues to maintain dynamic academics. Out of an audience of 15 adults, two took notes on their computer and only a few had explored Second Life.

According to Miller, "A lot of Universities are beginning to make use of virtual worlds, and they are building campuses in Second Life and other virtual worlds that are replicas of their own campuses. They are doing education environments where people can go and participate in scientific experiments and other types of experiments."

Two of the main projects that Miller introduced are The Georgia Museum of Art's virtual museum and a learning facility replicating Anse Bundren's house in William Faulkner's novel "As I Lay Dying."

According to Jenny Williams, the Public Relations Coordinator for the museum, she assisted in beginning the virtual museum because the actual museum closed for an expansion. The virtual museum allows the permanent collection to be accessible to the world.

Williams explained: "We're really excited about this being more than an educational tool for museum studies and art history students. It's also for those who may never get to visit The Georgia Museum of Art."

The virtual house dedicated to "As I Lay Dying" includes resources for visitors to learn more about the novel. Resources include Web pages, student monologue projects, a map of Faulkner's mythical Yoknapatawpha County, and monologues by other professors.

Paul Quick, the professor sponsoring Bundren's house, highlighted two of his top problems in Second Life: grading and copyright. Quick believes that students need more instruction when it comes to experimenting with Second Life. Quick said "I like the monologues, but this was certainly an experiment. I learned that I need a better rubric."

Quick also commented about copyright concerns associated with having a Great Depression room. In a similar situation, Williams discussed copyright issues for The Georgia Museum of Art: "Copyright is something we're dealing with a lot with this project particularly because we are putting real images in the gallery."

According to Williams, a large concern is the ability for people to capture virtual work through screen shots, but she said the resolution is usually too low to copy. Williams advised the audience to protect themselves against copyright issues by researching and following fair use guidelines.

Kelly Foster, a Research Professional at Carl Vinson Institute of Government, felt that the lecture focused too much on the basic elements of Second Life, but was excited about an opportunity to see the virtual projects. Foster attended the event because she plans to use Second Life to research the polling of young adults. She feels Second Life is more interactive than other media.

Miller believes that virtual worlds are changing communication, and educators must explore how to use these outlets for both research and communication. Miller began his closing statement by saying, "In the big picture of human culture, we're full of virtual worlds, but this one allows you to do some things that other virtual worlds do not. The interactivity and engagement with your avatar are very powerful."