Out-genning the net generation: Second Life as a learning environment

Vicki Cormie / Ishbel Hartmann St Andrews University

Lyn Parker / Maggie KohimeSheila Webber /Sheila Yoshikawa University of Sheffield

March 2008LILAC

Outline• Introductions• Session structure & goals• Second Life: some basics• Our joint teaching• Inworld activity OR (if SL is

playing up) more presentations…..

Introductions

MaggieIshbel

Sheila

Lyn

Vicki

Structure for SL activity• Divide into groups, according to amount of SL

experience & preference– 1 group being helped with the basics– 1 discussion group– Tour/ activity

• Goals for session vary depending on which group you are in: overall, to know more about SL and its possibilities/ constraints

• Base for activity will be Infolit iSchool

Second Life

Second Life

• 3-D Online Digital world, owned by Linden Labs• Most things created by SL residents: SL fashion

designers, architects, bakers, animal makers ….• Avatars- 3D representation of yourself – free to

signup and can live on freebies, but need Linden dollars if want to own land, buy clothes etc.

• Communication through text chat, Voice and Instant Messaging

Issues• Need broadband and good computer with

right graphics card• Have to upgrade software often• Learning curve in basics of movement &

communication inworld• Personal concerns about SL• Technical constraints on numbers of

avatars• Firewalls, IT centres’ refusals to install SL

Our work in SL

Inquiry in SL

• Compulsory activity (feeding into assignment) for 1st year BSc Information Management students in (core) Information Literacy class (20 students)

• Aim to deepen engagement with subject & class & part of induction into research: in Semester 2 they undertake their own IM mini-projects

• Students undertaking critical incident interviews with SL residents (a time when they had an information need relating to a SL activity) in SL itself

• Students analysed transcripts in relation to models of RL information behaviour + audit interview technique for assessment (about 40% of a 20 credit module)

• No student had used virtual world before (nb SL main grid is 18+ only)

• Developing basic skills• Developing interviewing skills in Real Life and

SL• Learning about information behaviour in RL

and SL• Sheila is module coordinator; Vicki & Lyn

involved in inworld activities• N.B. Also discussions and networking activities

Infolit iSchool

• Successful bid to Centre for Inquiry based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences to fund island for a year

• Island delivered early October; started teaching that month• Venues for discussion, reflection, chilling: aim to create a

relaxing/ welcoming environment• Some food/play areas• “Build” area left empty

to allow practice/ exhibition/ experimentation

• Teaching, discussions

Sheila Webber

s.webber@shef.ac.uk http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/

http://adventuresofyoshikawa.blogspot.com/

Sheila Yoshikawa

Vicki Cormie

Vicki.cormie@st-andrews.ac.uk

Lyn Parker

l.parker@shef.ac.uk

Facts and figures• SL made up of Regions ( “mainland”) or islands, each

65,536 sqm• 3,952 regions on Mainland (slmaps.com) + 12,000 islands• 12million avatars (probably a lot less individual people):

about 55,000 inworld simultaneously • Currency is Linden dollars ( £1= c. L$450): 16,850,580

Linden exchanged in December; 28 Jan spent Spent US$1,436,000

• 341,791 customers spent money inworld in December 2007; 50,000 users had positive Linden flow in Dechttp://secondlife.com/whatis/economy_stats.php