Second LifeAn overview and details on

library involvement already in place.

AJ KeltonDirector

CHSS Technology Services Unit

What is the purpose of a library?

What do you already know about

Second Life?

Why talk about Second Life?

What is Second Life?

Started in 2003

“Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents.”

A flexible space for learning and exploration

An opportunity for people to interact in a way that conveys a sense of presence lacking in other media.

Generalized rather than contextual, applicable to almost any discipline.

What is Second Life?

Second life is NOT a game - there are no rules or a fixed goal-oriented purpose.

15-20K sign ups daily - over 10.5 million total

25 - 50K residents on at one time

over $1 million spent daily (real US dollars)

Well over 200 educational institutions

Over 250 “sims” dedicated to education

A Universe of Virtual Worlds• 22 virtual world platforms listing over 11.8 million

users, and that only includes numbers from 7 of the 22

•18 virtual worlds for Teens and Tweens listing over 52.3 million users from 12 of the 18

•15 virtual worlds for kids listing over 16.7 million users from 9 of the 15

Do the math: 55 virtual platforms w/ 80.8 million users

Show me the money

“We don't see any slowing in the market adoption of virtual worlds technologies and expect investment in the space to continue. In fact the market is growing significantly, with the rate of adoption of virtual worlds increasing as the technology matures and has more to offer both consumers and enterprise customers.”

Christopher Sherman

Executive Director of Virtual Worlds Management

Immersion yields enhanced Immersion yields enhanced motivationmotivation

Hands-on, constructivist practices pose Hands-on, constructivist practices pose challengeschallenges and peak and peak curiositycuriosity

MMUVEs MMUVEs reach learnersreach learners who do not succeed in who do not succeed in conventional classroom settings, as well as conventional classroom settings, as well as “traditional” learners“traditional” learners

The use of MMUVEs allow for delivery of The use of MMUVEs allow for delivery of sophisticated content in sophisticated content in context context andand application application

http://muve.gse.harvard.edu/rivercityproject/

Dede’s research on MMUVEs Dede’s research on MMUVEs showsshows

Students visit the always available site

Encounter content

An effective virtual An effective virtual learning environment learning environment

(VLE) may:(VLE) may:SupplementSupplement face-to-face interaction face-to-face interaction

Be used Be used in combinationin combination with other with other multi-media (e.g. videoconferences multi-media (e.g. videoconferences embedded within the SL platform or embedded within the SL platform or concomitant with SL)concomitant with SL)

Be an adjunct to Be an adjunct to BlackboardBlackboard or or another more linear, asynchronous another more linear, asynchronous interactions with discussion groups interactions with discussion groups and blogs and blogs

Special thanks to Dr. Laura Nicosia from the Montclair State University English

Department for allowing me to repurpose a few of the preceding slides from another

presentation she and I worked on together.

The CHSS Pilot Project

Recreate What Exists

Walk into a story

Always “On” Content

Traditional Spaces

Create Something New

Engage Students

Provide Resources

Challenges

Dante’s Inferno and Linden Hills

Collaboration

Genome Island

The Second Louvre

NOAA

Business

Spaceport Alpha and Delta

Renaissance Island

San Francesco Assisi

Princeton

The Sistine Chapel Vassar

Vassar Island

The Lost Gardens of Apollo

Abbott’s Aerodrome

Existing Library Efforts

•Alliance Second Life Library 2.0 Project

• Info Archipelago - 37 islands of libraries, educators, non-profit and government agencies, over 50 libraries of all types and 700 librarians.

•Reference Desk on InfoInternational Island (staffed by volunteers who work a minimum of 2 hours shifts)

InfoIsland

Purpose

“Libraries support learning in the world, a presence in Second Life helps to broaden that.”

This is not a replacement for what libraries are already doing, it is another tool to be used to support the mission.

Additional Information

•www.infoisland.org - the blog for the Alliance Second Life Library 2.0 Project

•A Report on the First Year of Operation of the Alliance Second Life LIbrary 2.0 Project also known as the Alliance Information Archipelago

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