Extend Your Metaverse: Research and Learning in Second Life's Virtual Environment October 10, 2007

Dr. Leslie Jarmon, Senior Lecturer in the Graduate School, introduces graduate students and faculty to research and learning in the 3-D virtual world environment of Second Life. This workshop includes interaction with other participants via the Second Life online virtual world in real time.

Virtual worlds like Second Life are social technologies where many users connect to the same network and interact simultaneously as "avatars" (a virtual representation of yourself). It is not a game but an inherently social experience. The over 9 million residents of Second Life, for example, can fly, teleport, explore, meet people, socialize, attend classes, and engage in commerce. Some 200 universities and educational institutions and corporate entities such as IBM, Toyota, Dell, AMD, Sears, and the NBA have a virtual presence in Second Life.

As co-founder of the Educators Coop in Second Life, Dr. Jarmon will describe an experimental research pilot. It provides educators and researchers with a unique residential community environment designed to cultivate new inter-disciplinary relationships and collaborations. In effect, the coop residents are improvising a new learning community of practice in Second Life. Early data indicate that researchers' virtual interactions and collaboration on projects – actual experiential activity in the virtual world - is challenging them to imagine and construct “knowledge” from different perspectives as they explore possibilities in this virtual world environment.

Registration is free but required for attendance at the workshop due to space limitations.

Official Website: http://www.utexas.edu/ogs/pdce/workshops/sl.html