February 2008
Learning's Second Life
The articles about Second Life, the 3-D phenomenon sweeping the Internet, are everywhere—just google it and you’ll find 70.5 million articles about this digital chimera that is visited by millions daily. But I must admit, I was a little skeptical about this new virtual world.
But when T+D talked with Joe Miller, vice president of platform and technology at Linden Lab, which operates Second Life, the learning opportunities started to come into focus. As Miller explains in the article on page 34, “Second Life removes the distance from the distance learning equation.”
Second Life is a virtual environment that can replicate situations that are too dangerous or expensive to do in real life, such as British Petroleum’s threedimensional renderings of the tank and pipe systems at a typical gas station. Trainees can learn in a safe environment without the danger that comes with real-life mistakes.
But, Miller adds that Second Life should not replicate what goes on in the classroom. Why create a virtual classroom of chairs, desks, and whiteboards, when you can meet your class on an island and create a new world of learning by jumping into a rocket and taking a ride around the solar system or flying up to the Sistine Chapel to see the magnificent splendor of this wonderful piece of art.
So if you think that Second Life is just a video game on steroids, think again. The creativity in Second Life is endless and the world of learning and collaboration is never-ending—you just need to buy into the informal and formal learning possibilities that this new virtual environment has to offer.
Paula Ketter
Editor, T+D
pketter@astd.org
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