Libraries in Second Life: New Approaches to Education, Information Sharing, Learning Object Implementation, User Interactions and Collaborations
Susan Smith Nash
Three-dimensional virtual worlds such as Second Life continue
to expand the way they provide information, learning activities,
and educational applications. This paper explores the types of
learning activities that take place in Second Life and discusses
how learning takes place, with a view toward developing
effective instructional strategies. As learning objects are being
launched in Second Life, new approaches to collaboration,
interactivity, and cognition are being developed. Many
learning-centered islands appeal to individuals who benefit from
interaction with peers and instructors, and who can access
learning objects such as information repositories, simulations,
and interactive animations. The key advantages that Second
Life offers include engaging and meaningful interaction with
fellow learners, media-rich learning environments with
embedded video, graphics, and interactive quizzes and
assessments, an engaging environment for simulations such as
virtual labs, and culturally inclusive immersive environments.
However, because of the steep learning curve, technical
difficulties, and cultural diversity, learners may become
frustrated in Second Life. Since Second Life is social learning
environment that emphasizes the creation of a self, effective
learning requires step-by-step empowerment of that new,
constructed self. Full Text
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