So, because of a misunderstanding, I'll be doing another emergent tech post. This time, on a fad I'm rather familiar with personally known as Second Life.
A big place for groups large to small, Second Life is a social networking-slash-gaming tool wherein "players" create a virtual avatar so they can interact with each other in a virtual environment.
It's like Myspace but with graphics! And thought!
But this isn't just a tool for friends, but it can be used constructively. This program is an excellent way to gather your students together in a virtual classroom to teach any supplemental material (Who wants to count the number of times I've used that word?) or introduce concepts outside of the main curriculum. Of course, this should not be used as a substitute for classroom learning, but it can be a handy after-class tool for learning or just general recreation. When your teaching is done, introduce them to some nice age-appropriate bands that regularly play on Second Life! Or have an online game tournament! Maybe you could get to know your students better!
Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, Second Life seems to have some lag issues, as it takes a FEW lives just to get to the login screen. Also, the graphics can range from great, to not-so-great, appealing to a wide range of computers. But don't expect your Swan computer operating on DOS to handle this! But when you've gone through the rigamaroll of making a profile and downloading the program on your computer, you're set to teach in the interwebs! Yay!
I'll be there...will you?
