A Field Trip Around Second-Life

Amy L Sacco

I decided to go a bit off the grid, and explore some areas that weren’t posted in our initial meeting. I was surprised to find a replica of the

R.M.S. Titanic, and had to go onboard to take a better look.

R.M.S. TITANIC

I thought the set up of this area was rather authentic, with period specific automobiles and posters [though, if you look to the right,

you will see a replica of James Cameron’s film “Titanic” ]

Ready to Set Sail

I decided to relax for a while in one of the lounges. When you clicked on the pictures framed on the walls, information about the Titanic

was available which I thought was really nice and informative.

Lounges and Dining Rooms

I took a moment to walk around the various decks, noticing the handful of lifeboats scattered about. It was kind of a sobering

moment, even in Second Life.

Infamous Lifeboats

After walking around on deck, I decided to enjoy some champagne and sprawl out by a small fire, holding a rose. The perfect pose for a beautiful painting, by

the equally beautiful Leonardo DiCaprio, wouldn’t you agree?

Hey Leo, paint me like one of your French Girls

I decided to take my exploring below decks, where I got to witness the ship mechanics in action. It was actually a really neat

experience, and I’m glad that this was an option!

Below Deck

There were some really neat views from up here, of both the ocean and the dock.

“I’m the Queen of the World!”

How to Implement all of this within the classroom…

There are quite a few areas like this throughout Second Life if you know where [and how] to search for them. I simply thought of a historical topic of interest [to me] and did a search within Second Life and teleported right to the Titanic; and even though at face value a tour of the R.M.S. Titanic might not seem exceptionally educational, many aspects of the ship are, and could easily be utilized within a Unit which includes learning about the Titanic.

As an example, throughout the ship, there were clickable images of people, places, and objects onboard that provided accurate information on those topics, and some instances links to where you could read on them further. It was a new take on learning, and an interesting way to gain information on a sobering event, because it allows visitors to get immersed within the environment, making it more real and thus more fascinating to learn about.