Army Information Center

The Army Information Center was an interesting location that I visited in Second Life. I thought I was going to see people training in boot camp activities. I did not see anyone there. I went into one of the Army’s building and got lost. There were some computers and a lot of Army posters in the building. I eventually found my way out. There were even Army posters outside. I think the Army is using Second Life to recruit people in real life. Second Life is free advertising for the United States Army.

Beachwood Club House

I went to the Beachwood Club House because I have always enjoyed going to the beach. There were a lot of people walking around this area. There were also some people relaxing on the beach. It reminded me of a tropical island. There were a lot of palm trees and surfboards everywhere. I have always wanted to go surfing in real life. It looks like a lot of fun. The Beachwood Club House looked like a place that I would go to on vacation in real life.

Oregon Community College

I decided to visit Oregon Community College in Second Life in order to compare it to Bucks County Community College in real life. There were a few people walking around Oregon’s campus. Bucks usually has a lot of people walking around. I also noticed that Oregon used an outside amphitheater for teaching. All of the classes that I have seen at Bucks are indoors. Both of the community colleges had a lot of trees and were built in wooded areas. Overall, Oregon’s campus was nice, but I still like Bucks better.

Virtual Sports Nexus

I visited a virtual sports complex in Second Life because I enjoy playing different sports. At first, I thought there was going to be different sports. When I teleported to the virtual sports complex, all I could find was skateboarding. I did not know where to get a skateboard, but I did see another avatar riding in the skate park. I tried to ask the guy where I could get a skateboard but he was to fast for me. He was gone before I could type anything.

A Wolf Mountain Ski Resort

I decided to go to a ski resort because I have never gone skiing in real life. There was a big log cabin and there was a ski lift. I didn’t see anyone skiing or on the ski lift. I guess skiing is not popular in Second Life. I tried to fly to the top of the snow covered mountain, but I continually crashed into trees. This was my first time flying and I did not have good control of my avatar.

In World vs. Real World

Group Picture With Mountains In Background – Bob and Nick

The virtual society of Second Life and our real world society are similar. Both have real places. One example would be universities. People can travel to many different places in both. In the virtual world, people teleport. In the real world, people must take some form of transportation. Also, both are built around an economy. The virtual world of Second Life uses Linden dollars while the real world society uses real money.

Our group thinks the in world meeting on Second Life was better than meeting in Blackboard Vista’s chat groups. Instead of seeing words appear on the screen, we got to see each other as characters. We could see what our group was doing while we were communicating. Also, we got to go places in the virtual world and see what other people were doing. The in world meeting in Second Life brought a three dimensional view which made our conversations more interesting.

Virtual worlds like Second Life can enhance the teaching and learning experiences for students a few different ways. The virtual worlds get students involved. It is very similar to a videogame. Videogames can be addicting. Virtual worlds will attract the student’s attention because so many things can happen in them. We also believe that virtual worlds that have an economy like Second Life can be helpful to students. Students can learn the value of money in a virtual world while using fake money. If they mess up, it is alright because the money was never real. The students can learn from their mistakes in the virtual world and make the correct choices in the real world. Virtual worlds also teach students about art and society. Many different people from all over the world use virtual worlds like Second Life. Students can learn about other cultures and the clothes that they wear. They can also learn about the way they act. Students can learn about different customs and beliefs from others that use virtual worlds.