A slice of Second Life

Academics, support staff and students navigating a changing landscape

Abstract

Second Life is an on-line three dimensional virtual world which offers a dynamic educational technology landscape. The relationship between participants (real and virtual selves), and objects (both in terms of destinations and notions of capital/inventory) within this landscape, highlight the complex world(s) of an academy that, like the avatars that populate the virtual world, may continually transform to open up new possibilities. The communities, contexts and roles inherent to the experience are similarly integral to the professional development of academics and support staff. Staff and students at the Queensland University of Technology are now utilising the Second Life virtual environment in a variety of contexts. Although these endeavours are in their early stages, a number of themes are emerging which are instructive for future usage of virtual worlds in educational contexts. This paper examines some of the educational models that three dimensional multi-user virtual environments offer, the contexts that they operate in, and the communities they generate in order to respond to the purposes and issues that arise. It also considers the return on investment of having a place in this landscape for individuals, innovators and institutions.