Second Life Technology

What is Second Life? Second Life is a 3-D virtual world where users can socialize and connect to share ideas and created identities that would otherwise be impossible to create in the real world (Rosedale, 2008). It can serve as a means of escape and creativity (Rosedale, 2008).

How is Second Life a disruptive technology?
In the field of education, high school education, many of our students use Second Life technologies to escape the stressors of everyday life as a student. They create this collaborative environment where only they and the members (peers/friends) are welcome. They can enjoy free expression and a world that they have created specifically for themselves.

What technology or innovation did it displace?
It has displaced the teacher as the leader of dialog and the face to face classroom collaborative learning environment.

How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging technology or disruptive technology replaces it?
That is difficult to answer. I am just becoming familiar with the new technology, but this one will be around until something else comes out that expands on the current technology (Laureate Education Inc., 2009).

What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might be the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry?
The social benefits of second life are endless. Some of our students will not interact in an open environment. Second Life gives them the opportunity to develop some social skills in a different platform. Nonetheless, they are being exposed to various cultures and ways of seeing the world. I think this type of collaborative learning and interacting forces educators to look at how our students prefer to communicate. We will have to eventually create an environment that supports this method of communication within the face to face classroom.

For more information, please visit http://secondlife.com/whatis/


Reference
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore, MD

Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.