The Story of My “Second Life”

Fleep’s Second Life Whitepaper

Originally uploaded by kjarrett

Chris Collins (SL: Fleep Tuque), who just moderated the fantastic panel discussion we recently had on ISTE Island, blogs here about several things, including a paper she just co-authored with Nancy Jennings in The Journal of Social Sciences. I first met Chris back in May at the Second Life Best Practices in Education conference, then in real life at the Second Life Community Convention last August. She is as vivacious and tenacious in RL and SL. This young lady rocks!

Her whitepaper, blockquoted below, is a great observational overview of Second Life from a higher education perspective and offers brief case studies (INSEAD, Ohio University) as well as insights into the practices of 170 institutions with presences in Second Life.

Virtual or Virtually U: Educational Institutions in Second Life

Abstract: Educational institutions are increasingly exploring the affordances of 3D virtual worlds for instruction and research, but few studies have been done to document current practices and uses of this emerging technology. This observational survey examines the virtual presences of 170 accredited educational institutions found in one such 3D virtual world called Second Life, created by San Francisco based Linden Lab. The study focuses on what educational institutions look like in this virtual environment, the types of spaces educational institutions are creating or simulating, and what types of activities are being conducted.

This paper is a great starting point for college & university educators / administrators who are taking their first look at Second Life. Check it out!