Gadgets, Games and Gizmos: More Second Life

Basically Second Life is the Matrix, as in, “Wake Up Neo, the Matrix has you.” You can learn a little more by checking out my previous entry on the subject, Get a “Second Life.”

Second Life is a virtual world in which people can act, react and function as if they were in the actual physical world. You can buy, trade and barter for virtual goods and services within the virtual world. There are even people who make a living buying and selling virtual land, clothing and other items.

The implications for training are that people will be able to act, interact and learn from each other in this virtual world. The world itself is not a training environment but training events and situations can be created in this environment.

For example, you can fly around the solar system to learn about planets and their orbits. You can create a building and learn about traffic flow and the habits of visitors. You can create a 3D object and teach about that object via a distance. You can conduct role-plays online and have people interact differently. You can even have people adopt genders or nationalities to see what it is like to literally “walk in another person’s shoes.”

Here is an article about the business implications and another article about university’s who have gotten into the act.

Over on ASTD’s Learning Circuits there are a number of discussions on the topic and Tony Karrer’s eLearning Technology has a discussion on Second Life as a Teaching Tool as well.

Also, Tim Wang’s eLearning Blog has a great entry on the UBC’s Art campus. Check it out. (you have to click through a filter message to get to the entry.)

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