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Second Life (SL) is an online virtual world where all the content is created and used by its "residents." Basic accounts are free. You can use, buy, and/or admire what others have created, or create for yourself. SL has its own economy and money unit (called Lindens) which can be converted to US dollars and vice versa. People get into SL for many different reasons. Who Uses SL?
- Individuals
- Businesses
- Research/marketing firms
- Educational institutions
- Organizations
How is SL Used?
- Online Virtual Conferences. It's almost like the real thing. Presentations, vendors, workshop sessions, goodies, etc.
- Virtual Field Trips. You will find interactive educational content, such as Don Quixote being read in Spanish, The Genome Project, Literative Alive, etc. NOAH has a 3D real-time weather map. The International Space Flight Museum has "life-size" replicas of their rockets with notecards full of information.
- Group Meetings: Many residents with like interests gather for regular meetings in SL. There are artist groups, educator groups, discussions on ethics, etc.
- Classes. Many educational institutions use SL for synchronous and asynchronous classes. There are also many classes on using and creating things in SL as well.
- Galleries/Stores: Many artists from around the world display their real world (RL) work in SL. And many SL artists create clothing, avatars, buildings, vehicles, etc. for other residents to buy.
- Immersion. Some residents build extensive environments to immerse other residents in a particular experience. You can explore the mountains and waterfalls of Bliss Basin; roam the grounds of the living sim, Svarga, where birds eat the seed you put on the ground and rainclouds water seeds allowing plants to grow; or wander under the trees of Avilion, where knights, faeries, drows, and dragons roam.
- Roleplaying. There are sims totally devoted to medieval knights and faeries, dragons, Dune, Star Wars, Final Fantasy, etc.
- Business/Research. Car manufacturers show off their cars, Philips Design conducts studies in how people use SL, Nokia has a product room where you can see models of their cell phones up close and link directly to their web site, etc.
- Social Networking. Did we mention there are dance clubs, beaches, parties, get-togethers at friends' places? And for the guys, helicopters, airplanes, sports cars, boats, motorcycles, etc.
- Google search results for:
- 101 Uses for Second Life in the College Classroom. Written by Dr. Megan S. Conklin, Elon University. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.
How Do We Use SL?
Some of the faculty at North Georgia are using SL to expose their students to native language speakers, virtual science field trips, etc. North Georgia also has an island called, Auraria, which students and faculty can use as a "home base" for picking up and dropping off assignments, meetings, office hours, and learning to use SL.
Finding Out More About SL:
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Useful information to get you started:
- Getting into SL (setting up your account, checking your system requirements, and installing the client software)
- First Stop - Orientation Island
- Who You Gonna Call? (getting help from NGCSU faculty/staff in SL)
- Where to go in SL
- How to Deal with "Situations" in SL
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