I just came across a blog (thanks to a mention on Classroom 2.0) by an
educator (Kevin Jarrett) exploring with second life
http://www.storyofmysecondlife.com/ that can certainly be of benefit to
those wondering about whether or not to experiment with Second Life.
Make sure you check out the video about the educational uses of Second
Life that he links to on the page. (It's a youTube video so it will
probably be blocked if you're accessing this message from a school). 

There's also a link to a video made by kids in Second Life that is quite
amazing. The video the kids made is at
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nK54WRu0jW4 It's also a youTube video so it
will probably be blocked but it's worth watching from another location.
The subject matter is horrific and moving (one child soldier's
experience from abduction to rescue) but even disregarding the topic,
it's a positive example of how virtual worlds can be used in education.

I'm far from convinced yet that the positives of using Second Life as an
educational tool so outweigh the negatives (for me) that I'm ready to
invest the time and effort needed to implement doing so with my
students, but this video certainly adds weight to the positive side of
the equation.
 
Barry Bakin
ESL Teacher Adviser
Division of Adult and Career Education
Los Angeles Unified School District

	

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