Second Life has great potential as a platform for innovative education, and we encourage educators to take advantage of this through our Campus: Second Life program. Through this program, we offer educators some land on a temporary basis to use as a 'headquarters' for their class to meet. Details about Campus: Second Life can be found here: http://www.secondlife.com/csl In addition, we offer an educational discount on private islands for educators who wish to have a permanent presence in Second Life for specific classes or ongoing educational research purposes.
Second Life gives these students a remarkable opportunity to be part of an amazing virtual experience, rather than just reading about it. For more information about these possibilities, please see our education page: http://www.secondlife.com/education
Here's a list of Resident educators and the amazing projects they're working on in Second Life this Spring 2006 semester:
Bryan Mnemonic
Central Missouri State University
"CyberCulture" (exploring the socio-cultural experiences and implications of cyberspace)
Skaht Kaos
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
"Virtual Reality Design"
Kaptial Metropolitan
Larsson Lindstrand Palme Arkitektkontor, Stockholm, Sweden
"Production of Architecture"
Jen Doolittle
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
"The Human Animal" (studying issues of anthropomorphism)
Lys Ware
Stanford University
"Critical Studies in New Media"
Jean Gavaskar
College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota
"The Responsible Self - Dignity in the Online World"
Satchmo Prototype
Teachers College at Columbia University
"Virtual Worlds"
Desty Kenzo
Johnson & Wales University, Providence, Rhode Island
"Process and Quality Management" (educational business models)
Disco Bobbysocks
University of Derby, United Kingdom
"Game Design"
DoctorMike Soothsayer
University of Wales, Newport, UK
"3D Computer Graphics and Virtual Worlds"
Jared Pixel
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
"Theater and Culture"
Amaagariwah Kawabata
University of Illinois, College of Education
"Cognitive Science in Teaching and Learning"
Chico Bertone
Arcada Polytechnic, Helsinki, Finland
"Cultural Exchange and Government"
Wendy Widget
Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California
"Instruction in Educational Technology"
Omen Semar
Hamilton College, Clinton, NY
"Cultural Simulation Seminar" (simulating space exploration and colonization)
Moriz Gupte
Institute of Rural Health, Idaho State University, Pocatello
"Collaborative Training for Healthcare Professionals"
deb Sartre
Montgomery College, Maryland
"Game and Simulation Training"
Rhys Soothsayer
University of Derby, United Kingdom
"Teaching Abilities of Virtual Environments"
Doc Flimflam
Film & Media Studies, University of Oregon
"New Media & Digital Culture"
Victor Highlander
Computer Science and Engineering, University of California Riverside
"Video Game Creation and Design"
As you can see, there's a LOT going on, and I will keep this post updated as new educators continue to sign up this Spring semester. These folks are truly pioneers in using Second Life as part of their curriculum. Their work will help advance the use of Second Life as a serious tool for learning as well as introduce new students to the amazing possibilities of our growing virtual world.
If you have any additional questions about Campus: Second Life or education possibilities, please contact me directly (pathfinder@lindenlab.com).
Take care,
-Pathfinder
econd Life land in a region called "Campus." 