Living in a Virtual World in Second Life
Shane BaptistaComputing ConsultantCenter for Teaching Excellence
Anne Pemberton Instructional Services
Coordinator Randall Library
What is Second Life?
“Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 9,478,857 Residents from around the globe.”
http://www.secondlife.com/whatis
Where Did It Come From?
Linden Lab (http://lindenlab.com/) Founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale Vision and Mission: “To connect us all
to an online world that advances the human condition.”
Based in San Francisco 200 employees worldwide
• Second Life: Get One
• Introduction to Second Life
• Ohio University
What Can You Do in SL?
Explore Meet People
Chat (IM) Talk (Voice now available) Make groups
Buy (Linden $) Build (Shane)
System Requirements
Internet Connection*: Cable or DSL Operating System: Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
OR Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4) NOTE: Second Life does NOT currently support
Windows Vista Computer Processor: 800MHz Pentium III
or Athlon, or better Computer Memory: 256MB or better Video/Graphics Card**:
nVidia GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better OR ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or better
Population (as of 9/13/07)
Residents Logged-In During Last 7 Days 464,653
Residents Logged-In During Last 14 Days 637,715
Residents Logged-In During Last 30 Days 977,547
Residents Logged-In During Last 60 Days 1,540,605
Total Residents 9,476,089
Is It Free?
Yes and No
Free to create an Avatar and explore (Basic Membership)
Lots of “freebies” available Hair, skin, clothes, etc.
Is It Free?
Want to buy land? A house? (Premium membership)
250 - 320 Linden $ = 1 US $
Make money (Surveys, “camping,” greeter, etc.)
Over $1 million US typically spent in a 24 hour period
What Will YOU Do There?
Personal Explore! Have fun!
Professional Find out what other faculty are doing Have virtual office hours Have a class meet there Have your students explore
Institutions in Second Life
Harvard University
New York University
San Diego State University
Stanford University
Texas State University
Top 20 Educational Locations
Learning Spaces
Re-Think Learning Spaces
Do you really need a building or chairs when you can meet on top of a mountain or discuss a topic while swimming in a lake?
Examples
Campus: Second Life Program
Use of 1 acre of land in Second Life completely free for the duration of your class
Allows you to try out Second Life with your class for the first time at no cost
You will have the land for a single semester (e.g., Fall or Spring). After that semester is over, plot is reclaimed
Campus: Second Life Program
Accepting applications for the Spring 2008 academic semester
Deadline to apply is 12/31/07
You will be informed of decision by 1/5/08
If you are looking for temporary land for your class, you might try posting on the SLED list to see if any other educators in Second Life might be able to help you
http://secondlife.com/csl
Private Islands
Provide ability to create secure "intranet" spaces with restricted membership for your students and you, or you can open it up to be accessible to everyone in Second Life
50% discount for Private Islands to educational institutions and non-profit organizations
Islands are priced at US $1,675 for 65,536 square meters (about 16 acres)
Monthly land fees for maintenance are US $295 (also eligible for 50% discount)
http://secondlife.com/community/land-islands.php
Higher Ed Discussion
http://www.secondlife.com/
http://uncwsecondlife.pbwiki.com/ (Password: uncw)
http://secondlifegrid.net/programs/education
http://www.secondlife.com/educationwiki
Getting Started
http://secondlife.com
Create an Avatar First name can be anything you want You will not use your “first life” last name You can be anyone or anything you want! Male/female, human/animal, robot You’ll learn how to change appearance
First stop: Orientation Island
First Life:Anne Pemberton
Second Life:Kirstie Merlin
First Life:Anne Pemberton
Second Life:Brooke Timeless
Building
Getting Help
Video Tutorials
Building Tutorial
Help Island
Ask Residents!
Have to See to Believe
Machinima (making movies in Second Life)
http://www.bellsandspurs.com/
http://secondlife.com/community/videos.php
Libraries In Second Life