1. Second Life: Using 3D virtual worldsacross the secondary curriculum Kate Farrell Castlebrae High School

2. What is Second Life?

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by 6.5 million avatars.

1.7m people have logged on in the last 60 days

Normally 20-40,000 people online at any one time

3. Why use SL in Education?

Creative

Exciting

Fun

Engaging

Entrepreneurial

Collaborative

Worldwide

4. How to use SL in Education

Meetings

Discussions

Interviews

Talks

CPD

Lectures

Debates

Presentations

Simulations

Games

Creating

Designing

Collaborating

Working together in RL (real life) and SL

5. Existing Educational Projects Current uses of SLwith 13-17 year olds 6. Kids Connect

Kids Connect is a series of workshops for young people in multiple locations, teaching them to connect and work together via performance, digital storytelling and networked collaboration

In our pilot program, participants connected and created with other students in New York and Amsterdam via video streaming and in Second Life, the online virtual world.

7. Kids Connect

New York kids were taught SL building and scripting and appearance skills

They also learned performance and movement skills, digital storytelling, Playback theatre, VJing (Video DJing), filming and sound recording skills

The Amsterdam kids had less time and were more focused on programming skills in SL.

They recreated their neighbourhood, including graffiti

8. Global Kids

Global Kids Island in the teen grid is a place for teen residents to learn about important social and world issues.

The island recently hosted a digital media essay contest, the SL version of the Save Darfur charity wristband campaign, a photo show from Global Kids Leaders, Camp GK, UNICEF A World Fit For Children Festival, the Henry Jenkins lecture/dance party, and interactive, experiential workshops led by GK staff on issues related to digital media.

In Autumn 2006 a real world machinima program and a real-world gaming program, both using TSL, were launched in NYC.

9. Suffern Middle School

SL being used in Language, Art, Geometry, Entrepreneurs, Robotics and History classes in school

Recent project in Health Education is on body image and self-esteem

Pupils recreate scenes from books, such as Of Mice and Men

10. Pacific Rim Exchange (PacRimX)

Exchange project between a school in California, USA and Kyoto, Japan

American kids learning Japanese

Japanese kids learning English

Getting to know each other before meeting in real life

11. Open Universitys Schome(not school, not home)

Research project by the Open University looking at ways of overcoming the problems within current education systems

Part of a network of activities for high achieving students in the UK

12. British Council

Three islands in Teen Grid

Space for foreign students to practice their English Language skills

Wide range of materials for students

Games, quests, and treasure hunts based on linguistic clues

An iconic representation of Britain

13. Virtual Grammar Dunoon Grammar School

Use of Audio / Video in the main grid

Supporting homework & revision

Whole school initiative

Use in English using Scottish texts

Use in Art designing virtual school uniform

14. Using SL in the Curriculum 15. Modern Foreign Languages

Virtual penpal scheme

Communicate using text so reading and written skills improve

Combine with Skype to practice spoken language skills (this facility will be included in SL soon)

Roleplay by creating caf or shop scenes

16. Modern Foreign Languages Modern Languagescould use SL for collaborating with kids around the world - a high-tech penpal scheme! Also, locations such as cafes or shops could be set up to allow role-play. As SL uses a chat/IM system, this would allow pupils to practice their writing, although programs like Skype or Vivox could be used as well to practice talking in foreign languages. It could be like a virtual school trip, without the expense or risk assessments ;-) 17. Religious & Moral Education

Attitudes towards appearance and disability

Change your skin colour or use a wheelchair for a week.Do others react differently?

Research into different religions

Body image and Self-esteem

18. Craft, Design & Technology

Product design and testing

Consumer research

Not as advanced as CAD or other design tools

Can design in groups

Other teens can see and walk round your final design

19. Craft, Design & Technology Second Life could be used to do product design and testing. Objects could be designed as normal then created in SL and consumer testing carried out. Is the chair too big or too small for different sized people? Is the three legged table safe? Do people like the design of the mobile phone holder and should it be made in plastic or neoprene? Any objects can be created in SL without the expense of testing with real materials. 20. Art & Design

Virtual Art Gallery for studying existing work or showcasing pupils work

Dont Touch doesnt apply in SL!

Sculptures, including moving sound and light scupltures

Product design and testing

Photography

Fashion Design

digitalkatie.typepad.com/blog/2006/12/advocating_sl_t.html

21. Art and Design Art students could use the simple shapes (prims) available to create sculptures of different things. Work can be displayed to everyone who passes the sculpture gallery. Pictures can be imported into SL so pupils' real life work can be displayed in the virtual world to everyone. Photography is also very easy. Pupils can take photos 'in-world' and send them for free to Flickr.com or SLPics.com to be displayed and commented on by others. They could do a scavenger hunt for pictures of themes like light, shadows or repeating patterns. Other scavenger hunts could be looking for words to make up a photo poem made up of different words found around the virtual world.The photos can also be downloaded and used in collages or other work. 22. English & Media Studies

Study newspapers created in SL

Work as a journalist for a paper

Recreate scenes from books and poems

Talk to characters in setting

digitalkatie.typepad.com/blog/2007/01/advocating_sl_t.html

23. Drama

Costumes and characters can be changed easily and quickly

Poses, actions and situations not normally possible

You dont even have to be human, you can be a dragon or an alien

Combine characters, costumes, poses and actions into a live performance or record using machinima

24. Drama Dramastudents can use Second Life for planning real life performances or for performing in SL itself. SL can be used for designing sets and lighting easily. Performances can then be planned out by a director to show where cast will be standing. Costumes and characters can be created by editing your avatar's appearance. This can include characters that can't be achieved in real life such as tall blue giants or tiny purple mice. Shows can also be performed in Second Life to a worldwide audience using poses and animations stored by the avatars. 25. Music

There are musicians earning a living performing in Second Life.

Worldwide audience compared to performing in pubs and small venues

Audience participation

26. Business and Enterprise

SL is ideal for creating and selling objects.

Teams of pupils could work together to research the market, design and develop an object that they think will sell well, promote and sell the object. The pupils could compete to see which team makes the most profit. It is very easy to sell objects in SL, and you can control whether the buyer can copy or modify the object.

27. Business and Enterprise Business Studies or Enterprise education is one of the best examples, as Second Life's copyright and control facilities is ideal for creating and selling objects. Teams of pupils could work together to research the market, design and develop an object that they think will sell well, promote and sell the object. The pupils could compete to see which team makes the most profit. It is very easy to sell objects in SL, and you can control whether the buyer can copy or modify the object. 28. Business and Enterprise Second Life offers pupils the potential to be working in a safe enironment but with responsibility. They can take on roles as builders, scripters, designers, managers, DJs, hosts and organisers for events. Through this work they can earn 'Linden Dollars', which can be used to buy products or rent land in SL. If the pupils are very successful and earn a lot of the Linden dollars these can be exchanged for US dollars. 29. Mathematics Second Life could improve pupils'Mathsskills through building structures. In order to build skillfully in SL it is better to use numbers for co-ordinates and dimensions in the objects properties, rather than adjusting by eye. Also to build a complex shape more than 10m big, angles need to be worked out using formula and trigonometry. It can be done by hand but doesn't look as good. Co-ordinates and maps are also skills that can be developed, with orienteering challenges being quite easy to set up.digitalkatie.typepad.com/blog/2007/05/advocating_sl_t.html 30. Geography

Map reading and co-ordinates

Geographical features like volcanos and glaciers can be created (by the pupils)

Real-time Weather simulations

Environmental awareness

Scavenger hunts and orienteering

Time zones!

31. Science

Simulations

Models

Experiments that would be impractical or expensive in RL

32. Science Scienceclasses can use SL to recreate experiments that are not normally possible or practical in the classroom. Zero or low friction environments, space science, etc. Experiments can be set up in advance for pupils, ready to just 'take out the box'. Variables can be altered to see the results and the experiment repeated as often as required without any additional expense. 33. Computing

LSL Linden Scripting Language

Simple scripting with very visual results

Motivational way to learn programming

Real reasons for scripting

34. Computing Computingteachers can use the scripting language provided with Second Life's (LSL - Linden Scripting Language) to introduce scripting and programming to students. Scripts can be used for simple tasks like making objects 'speak' or play sounds, or more complex tasks like vehicles that move or fly. When simple scripts are used to open doors or show water 'moving' in fountains, the effect is quite impressive. Pupils very quickly realise they can change settings and see the effect, which is a great way to introduce variables and other programming skills. 35. SL and Educational Initiatives

I could go on about how using SL fitsall the capacities of A Curriculum for Excellence.. but I wont bore you :-)

It does though!

36. Barriers to using SL in school

Network access (speed and permissions)

Perceptions of SL as a place for porn

Child protection

37. Educational Links

Second Life - www.secondlife.com

SL in Education www.simteach.com

Mailing list secondlife.com/education

Wiki - secondlife.wikispaces.com

38. Teen Project Links

Global Kids globalkids.org

Global Kids blog holymeatballs.org

Kids Connect zoomlab.org

Dunoon- dgs-secondlife.blogspot.com

PacRimX- pacificrimx.wordpress.com

Suffern- rampoislands.blogspot.com

Eye4You- eye4youalliance.youthtech.info

Schome- schome.open.ac.uk

39. Next Steps

Join Second Life and create an avatar

Come to the SL Best Practices in Education Conference 25 thMay (24 hours from 9am GMT, just drop in) slbestpractices2007.wikispaces.com

Join the SLED and TSLED mailing lists secondlife.com/education

40. Costs

SL isfreeto use

You pay to have land you can build on

It is possible to rent or borrow land

An educational island is $838 (~426) for the initial purchase

Monthly land use fees for an island are $148 (~75)

41. Thank you for listening

Kate Farrell (AKA Katie Farina) Web:www.katefarrell.co.uk Email: kate@katefarrell.co.ukBlog: digitalkatie.typepad.com

Hugh ODonnell (AKA Hugho Writer) Email:Hugh.O'Donnell@dunoongrammar.argyll-bute.sch.uk Blog:dgs-secondlife.blogspot.com