Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Clifford Steinberg on March 10, 2008 at 11:33am

Tina,

I have done some extensive research in SL and education and look forward to sharing. I also have some "inside" information on the process and development of the Ramapo proejct.

SL: amghost sodwind


Best Regards,
Cliff

Permalink Reply by Tina M. Falsitta on March 10, 2008 at 9:18pm

Hi Cliff, Great--Please feel free to take the lead and modify or post information in the SL Group. It sounds like you'll have a lot of the information that people are looking for. Can you share some info about the Ramapo project or renting/owning land in SL?

Permalink Reply by Clifford Steinberg on March 11, 2008 at 11:43am

Tina,

SL presents an engaging medium for students and there are many ways in which it is relevant to todays learners.

One of the biggest things to realize when first investigating SL for K-12 in the fact that what you see and experience when you create an account is on what Linden Labs calls the "Main Grid." So, this is the space in which corporations, universities and others have their presence. It is very much an interesting place to visit and their is much that can be learned in various Sims around the Grid. For anyone not experienced with SL, the first stop should be a search and visit to the International Spaceflight Museum put together by NASA and some partners or Virtual Capitol Hill.

That being said, K-12 Educators must realize that the TOS (terms of service) does not allow anyone under 18 to use this space. So... the short story is that your students will not be able to experience the "Main Grid."

What Linden Lab has created for this user group is the "Teen Grid" and this is where all K-12 institutions and teens may have a presence. Also realize that this Teen Grid is a secure environment and any "Adult" looking to gain access to to go through a clearance process. The Sims (or islands) in the Teen grid are, by default, closed environments and no one can access the space except for those allowed. Adults can never leave their island. There are "open" and shared spaces on the teen grid for the students, but are mainly social areas.

Linden Lab info can be found here: http://secondlifegrid.net/programs/education

Peggy Sheehy has created a great site: http://www.metaversedltd.com/

I will be happy to add to this group as question and other content becomes relevant.
Cliff

Permalink Reply by William Brennan, Ed.D. on September 7, 2008 at 11:20am

Tina & Cliff,
Can you both share some ed tech groups that you are a part of. I am involved with the ISTE group and just sat in on a pre-confernce. I am looking for some others.
Thanks.
Bill

Permalink Reply by Clifford Steinberg on September 8, 2008 at 8:12am

Bill,

Are you looking for in-world groups or real-life groups to be a part of? I am a member of many of both.

To start, I would highly recommend joining the Second Life Educators listserv. It is a very active group. You can subscribe and view the archives via the link below...

https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators

Let me know your thoughts. I can also point you to other in-world groups as well.

Best,
Cliff

Permalink Reply by William Brennan, Ed.D. on September 8, 2008 at 7:12pm

Cliff,
Thanks. I am looking for either. I was in one yesterday and really liked it. I have been a bit removed from SL for a few months. I just subscribed...THANKS!
Hope to catch up at the 2020 conference.
Bill

Permalink Reply by Dr. Denise Douglas-Faraci on September 24, 2008 at 8:15am

Tina, Cliff, Bill,

I have been exploring SL through the River City Project, developed by Harvard and funded by the NSF.

In the Linden Lab site, I am Causidicus Ceriano.

Denise

Permalink Reply by Tina M. Falsitta on September 24, 2008 at 12:07pm

Thank you for letting us know about River City Project, I'll check it out. Ti Falta