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Looking for some answers

AkousmataAkousmata Member Posts: 72
in Second Life

I've never played SL.  The school that I attend has a nursing department that just got approved to use this software as some kind of training/social utility for the department.

Not knowing much about the game doesn't help much in this situation so can someone please explain to me how SL is being used and how a University may turn it into some type of training utility?  I'm a little unsure about the implementation of this game or what the point even is because everywhere I look seems to make the game more about commerce than social interaction or professional training.

Comments

  • SundiverSundiver Member CommonPosts: 27
    Hi Akousmanta! Linden Lab likes to think of Second Life as a "can do it all" solution. The heavy emphasis on business is something neither I nor many others appreciate much, but it is not something that will destroy your experience of SL in any ways.



    I am a premium user myself, as a token of my appreciation for the possibilities we are served on a silver platter in this virtual world. I am not a fanboi, though; SL is imperfect in too many ways, but it is also the only virtual world with this kind of options, tutoring being only one of them.



    If you go to Second Life's main website, you will find a link to this part on the right:


    http://secondlifegrid.net/programs/education



    It offers more information in regards to education in SL than I can provide you with, so I kindly suggest you read it.



    As for teaching and learning in Second Life: You can use a virtual classroom which can be built by anyone with the knowledge and experience (even real life architects). In this classroom, everything is possible with scripting and building. You can stream video and audio in real time, voice chat is integrated in the SL client, you can rez (summon) rather realistic 3D models of an object being discussed, I.E. the human heart, which can then be studied it in detail using the free camera view.




    Or if all you need is to sit down and talk with the students, no problem you can do that with the voice chat, and maybe stream your webcam so that they can see your face.




    Which brings me to another point: Voice chat with webcam in groups has been a common activity in many chat clients for many years now. If that is all you need, then I wonder why use SL for it. It is not optimized for voice chat (which is by the way on it's own server) or video streams, and SL in general is VERY bandwidth demanding, in that everything going on around and with your avatar is streamed in real time.




    I hope you find what you are looking for, anyway. I sure enjoy using SL as a tool box and not a game (although you can play various RPG games in-world, made by skilled people and comes complete with skill levels and everything). The beauty of SL is all the possibilities, really, but I still question whether it is the best solution for a University.
  • AkousmataAkousmata Member Posts: 72

    Thanks for the link.   That's somewhat helpful, I guess I'll just have to see it to believe it.  I actually work in the IT department at the school and none of us play the game so I was just curious to hear about it, and the website doesn't give/show too many examples of actual game play.  If they can legitimately claim that a nursing student can learn nursing techniques via this simulator then that's pretty cool, I was just a little skeptical.

  • SundiverSundiver Member CommonPosts: 27
    I would say, you have all rights to be sceptical about something like that. Second Life is a lot of things. It is not really a game, but a "social experiment", as Linden Lab prefer to call it. As for simulations, I personally think they take it way too far with their words considering what you can actually do with it. The possibilities are almost endless and at the same time there are many limitations.

    Second Life is still very experimental, you can achieve a lot with it no doubt. Even 3D Virtual Reality technology is being developed by third parties who wants to see what they can accomplish with it in a virtual online 3D world.

    But yes, you will just have to try it out yourself and see, only then you will know for sure whether it is something _you_ would find useful for that particular area. It would be great if it can be used that way, on the other hand Second Life is still in early development, and the competition comes crawling from all directions.

    But as long as it is free to use, go ahead and try. SL is being develeloped and expanded all the time, and it has given us a taste of what the future Internet may be like (merely a taste). The community is large as well, you can always find someone with the same interests as yourself.
  • RoseMackieRoseMackie Member Posts: 7

    Akousmata,

    Entering Second Life without a guide can certainly be confusing. Most of the business and educational institutions I know of  who are using SL as a venue have staff who will guide you through the process.

    In Second Life, you can also call on Mentors to help you learn your way around. Mentors can usually be found on Help Island Public and Orientation Public or at any of the Welcome Areas.

    At first look the commercial side of Second Life is the most apparent. Try looking in SEARCH>EVENTS for things to do. Note that the EDUCATION category there refers to in-world education, not to events scheduled as part of an institution's professional training.

    For social interaction, you could go the "club" circuit. Or you could just explore the world and meet people from all around the world. View the amazing landscapes created by the residents of SL. Experience live music performances. See recreations of things which no longer exist on Earth, which might someday be found on Earth, or could never exist in any Universe outside of Second Life.

    Rose Mackie

  • Knight_MasonKnight_Mason Member Posts: 9

    SL is basically the internet in 3D. Land is really just a website sitting on a server. And instead of viewing things with a boring webpage you can interact in a 3D environment.  A laggy one at that if your in a popular area.

    SL certainly has it's problems. But with a school they get a discount on islands which have much less lag. In that effect it can be used to show procedures in 3D. Or have people interact with the procedure and do them in a virtual setting.

    I use it for business mainly and sell virtual content for residents. That is the majority because it's what most people are interested in. Making money. But it has many other uses.

    Just like the internet you can use a website for a shop or a presentation. Doesn't really matter what others use it for. It's all about what you want to do with it.

  • RoseMackieRoseMackie Member Posts: 7

    I disagree Knight_Mason, that SL is basically 3D internet ~ unless you define the Internet as a whole as a vast online community.

    Second Life is an online community, much like any city. There are commercial areas, educational institutions, residential areas.  A city's tenor is derived from it's inhabitants and one's experience of any city depends on where one goes.

    You had it correct when you said "it's all about what you want to do with it."

    Rose

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