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S e c o n d L i f e V S

G o o g l e E a r t h

P r o d u c t i o n I I

S p r i n g 2 0 1 2

D r . M a r t i n e l l i

S T E P H A N I E H Y K E Y

W h i c h o n e

i s w h i c h ?

S e c o n d L i f e V S G o o g l e E a r t h Page 2

What i s S econd L i f e ?

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world in which you can visit realistic places as well as created places. Second Life has you create an avatar, a graphical representation of the user, to teleport to dif-ferent places, interact and chat with other users, and “live” a second life in many of the same ways you can in real life. Educa t ion and S econd L i f e Upon first looking at Second Life, the immediate value of using it in the classroom would be that you can view the inside of many real places, many of which are quite accurate, without leaving the classroom. Upon further exploration, there are “educational” places you can visit to further explore content that you may be teaching to your class and this can deepen the students’ base knowledge on the topic that may be further ex-plored in Second Life.

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What i s Goog le E ar th ?

Google Earth is an application in which you can visit the world through a virtual globe and view satellite images, maps, photos, actual terrain, and 3-D buildings. Google Earth allows you to view the world through a rich landscape and through very realistic views of the world.

Educa t ion and Goog l e E a r th Using Google Earth in education definitely has its ben-efits. Google Earth allows students to view the world realistically and truly get a feel for the actual location as well as its surrounding areas. Upon finding a loca-tion, not only can you view its actual location, but you can also view more information on it and actual pic-tures taken from the sites. Using Google Earth is a very realistic way to learn about different places in the world and deepen knowledge as well as geography skills.

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Legend of China- http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Liberia%20Isle/129/173/32 I enjoyed my visit through China. The

landscape and buildings all seem to be true to

the time period. The scenery was beautiful to

look at and extremely realistic. I would

absolutely use this with my class, as we study

Ancient China in the 6th grade. This would be

a great way to let my students feel like they are

truly in China. Students will even have a

chance to meet with Buddha. This is very cool.

Acropolis—http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GREECE/141/117/21

Visiting Acropolis was a beautiful place to see.

The scenery and buildings were beautiful to

look at. However, I did have trouble teleporting

to the different parts of Greece. I probably

would not go back here on my own. I had

initially thought I would use it with my class

for studying Ancient Greece and making

comparisons, however, since I had trouble

teleporting I probably would not use this with

my class after all.

Giza- The Great Pyramid- Nile Valley http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nile%20Valley/232/173/25

Upon actually entering the Pyramid, a game

rules sign popped up and there were certain

ways you have to live on the land, should

you choose to stay here. After I left the

Pyramid, I came across camels and Egyptian

garbed tents, which was cool to see. I

probably would not navigate through here

with my class. It does not hold the

educational value I had hoped it would.

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Beijing Temple of Confucius, China Although this exact part of China was not what

I viewed on Second Life, the temple I did view

on Google Earth with the exception of the

pictures, was not too impressive. The photos on

Google Earth are impressive, but the view was

from Google Earth was not as vivid and clear as

the other landmarks I’ve viewed on Google

Earth.

Acropolis, Greece When looking at Acropolis through Google

Earth, you gain much more appreciation of it.

Google Earth gives more of an accurate

depiction of the town itself. You can relate the

town and its surrounding areas much better

using Google Earth. When on Second Life, I was

not able to see as much of a realistic view of

Acropolis as I thought I was in comparison to

actual photos from Google Earth. Google Earth

lets you see a more enhanced view of any place

you are looking at.

Giza- The Great Pyramids Looking at the Great Pyramids through Google

Earth is a very different experience than

visiting them in Second Life. The way we see

the Pyramids through Google Earth is a more

informative and educational way to view them.

Through Google Earth you can see the accurate

locations, as well as actual photos taken from

people. I appreciate that Google Earth is more

realistic, and would use this more for

education purposes.

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Sistine Chapel-http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vassar/112/113/28 The Sistine Chapel is definitely a place I would

visit again, and I would take my class there as

well. The artwork is truly beautiful, and is very

realistic. Students would benefit from seeing

the artwork, and the architecture of this

historic site. They can get the feel of the Sistine

Chapel, and get to experience all that it is

without ever having to leave their classroom.

Virtual Oval Office-http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sialimonus/218/241/68 I liked to visit the Virtual Oval Office. It seems

to be a true- to- life replication of the actual

Oval Office. I even sat in the presidential chair.

I would use this with my students when

studying the government. Visiting this site is a

much more cost effective way to visit the Oval

Office.

Statue of Liberty- http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Le%20Dome/42/8/79 Visiting the Statue of Liberty was pretty interesting. I did find it interesting to go there, especially since I have not ever visited the Statue of Liberty myself. This would be a fun way to show my class the Statue of Liberty via a virtual fieldtrip, and then discuss the significance of its symbolization.

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Sistine Chapel, Italy

When you see the image this way, and make

the comparison from Google Earth and Second

Life, you can actually see that Second Life has a

very similar view as Google Earth does. The

Sistine Chapel in Second Life is probably one of

the best areas I’ve visited, when noting the

accuracy from the photos in Google Earth.

Using either one of the applications would be

beneficial to anyone that wanted to get a feel

for what it is actually like being inside the

Sistine Chapel.

The White House, Washington, D.C. The view of the White House from Google

Earth gives an exact location of it. However,

you cannot go inside the Oval Office like you

can in Second Life. For classroom purposes, I

would probably integrate both applications so

the students could get a feel for the actual

location of the White House, as well as get a

feel for what it’s like to be in the Oval Office

inside the White House.

Statue of Liberty Viewing the Statue of Liberty from Google

Earth is quite similar to viewing it on Second

Life actually. This is due to the fact that a 3-D

visual of the Statue of Liberty was actually

created on Google Earth. However, Google

Earth still does show a more realistic view of

the Statue. I also like the fact that it shows

accurate placement of the Statue of Liberty, as

well as the fact that it has many actual picture

of it. For educational value, I believe Google

Earth holds more clout.

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Theatron-http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Theatron/124/104/34

This Second Life destination is extremely

interesting. Upon your visit, you can choose 25

different theatres and then teleport to each and

any one. This allows the visitor to get a feel for

what different theaters from different time

periods looked like. Although I was only able

to go to one, I assume through more

exploration I would find the other theatres. I

would possibly use this with my class when

studying Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. It

would be beneficial to give them a visual of

what theatres throughout the time periods

looked like, and would provide a nice

comparison between Ancient times and today.

Sarah’s Magic Kingdom- http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Toyah/197/199/52 As a huge Disney fan, I was excited to see Sarah’s Magic Kingdom. It had some key features of Disney World. It included the Magical Light Parade, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and the Tower of Terror. I was able to take a ride on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, as pictured. It was adorable, and I would visit this site again. However, I would probably not sure this with my students because it was not related to anything that we are studying.

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Palace Theatre, London Although I was not able to compare the

Palace Theatre from Google Earth and Second

Life, because it was not available on Second

Life, I must say that what I was able to see on

Google Earth was impressive. I liked the view

of it on Google Earth because I can see all

that surrounds it. Actual photos of the theatre

are also very helpful when it comes to

viewing landmarks or buildings from a

realistic point of view. The true location is

also important to show the accuracy of

Google Earth.

Walt Disney World- Florida Looking at the actual Walt Disney World

through Google Earth is an entirely different

experience than looking at it in the virtual

world of Second Life. When looking at it

through Google Earth, you can see footage of

the theme parks. The one that is focused on in

this picture is Magic Kingdom. I think it is

more refreshing to see actual landscape than

virtual landscapes. You can also click on the

“pictures” and it will give you a view and more

information for that specific location. I would

use this to find out more realistic information

on the area.

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Oddprofessor’s Museum and Science Center-http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mujigae/144/214/140 Visiting OddProfessor’s Museum and Science

Center was definitely cool. This place is

dedicated to physics, and has various activities

to complete. This was probably one of the

coolest places I’ve visited in Second Life because

it was so interactive. I would absolutely try to

use this with my students. This site reinforces

many of the concepts they have learned this

year in their physics class. This place is a

keeper!

Da Vinci Gardens, Kalepa-http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Kalepa/245/188/23 I enjoyed roaming through the Da Vinci

Gardens in Second Life. The gardens are

beautiful to look at, and the scenery is quite

calming. The first interesting site I stumbled

upon was a bat, which I was invited to take a

ride on into the night sky. While taking a ride

on the bat, I saw beautiful buildings and an

aerial view of the landscape. I would visit the

Gardens again for personal use. As far as

educational value, since it is not an actual

place, I probably would not use this with my

class.

Recommendations for Second Life

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Gaylord National Hotel, Maryland The Gaylord National Hotel in Maryland as

viewed on Google Earth is extremely accurate. I

just visited there last weekend, and the view

could not be more realistic. This was not

available on Second Life, so there is nothing to

compare in terms of Google Earth versus

Second Life, but I will say that Google Earth is

extremely accurate when depicting this place.

This would not be used for the classroom, but

for personal use in terms of traveling this

would be beneficial.

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY While viewing Yankee Stadium on Google

Earth, it showed extreme accuracy in the look

of the stadium as well as its location. I was

actually unable to find this stadium on Second

Life, so I am not able to make a comparison of

both of the applications. However, the Google

Earth seems to be much more beneficial when

it comes down to the accurate and enhanced

features of it.

Recommendations for Google Earth

S e c o n d L i f e V S G o o g l e E a r t h

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Resources: Image logos taken from Google Images

T o S u m I t U p

Shortly after first using the Second Life application, I

found its benefits as well as its downfalls. Some of the

benefits of using Second Life are as follows: it allows

you to actually be inside the place that you visit, for

the most part; it allows you to do things that you could

not do in real life such as flying, or cruising on a bat,

or making quick changes to your appearance, body,

and clothes; it allows you to visit places that you might

not be able to afford and see some things that are

realistic about these places without leaving the comfort

of your home. There are also some experiences in

Second Life that make it fun, like communicating with

people, creating an avatar, and being able to teleport to

virtually anywhere around the world. Some of the

downfalls of Second Life are that some of these places

seem to be hard to navigate; the places may not be as

realistic as they are said to be, and it can be frustrating

to use, due to speed of the application.

I prefer to use Google Earth, whether it be for my own

purposes or with my students. I just felt it was easier to

navigate, faster to use, and more accurately depicts

places around the world.