Education In Second Life
One of the most popular and growing areas in Second Life (SL) is education. Virtual worlds are an ideal place to learn because of the convenience, and it’s a great place to teach because there is often much less overhead to deal with. That’s not to say there aren’t problems or drawbacks to learning and teaching in-world, but a virtual classroom or seminar can bring people together from around the world like no in-person setting can.
The Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics (MICA)
One of the big advantages of learning in-world is that most classes are either free or inexpensive. And getting there is simple as clicking a Teleport button or slur.
Classes are held in voice, video, or in chat. Students are generally allowed to ask questions , in one format or the other, and most classes are for the general public, though some are private.
Universities often hold private classes for students who are registered to the university, but often they also hold courses for the public in the areas of astronomy, biological sciences, philosophy, and political sciences.
Some organizations, like The Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics (MICA), a professional scientific and educational, non-profit organization, teaches exclusively in virtual worlds like SL.
Although SL has been considered a social network rather than a gaming avenue, gaming is coming on the scene in various ways, and to help people learn more about gaming in virtual worlds The First International IEEE Conference in Serious Games and Virtual Worlds is holding an event that will bring together researchers from a range of disciplines to formulate a new cross-disciplinary community in the emerging field of serious games and virtual worlds.
Of course, some of the first courses to arise in SL were scripting and building courses. Many different companies and independent builders teach courses for beginners to advanced. These are generally scheduled daily, and are very popular. Simply use the Search tool in SL to locate them.
The Mystic Academy
If you’re less into hardcore topics like science and programming, and want something more philosophical, you can attend seminars on World Beliefs and Religions. Want to feed your inner being? There are also many religious courses for everyone. You can take a class on Christianity, the Kabbalah, Buddhism, Paganism, and many others. These are also held daily, so use the Search tool to find an appropriate course for you.
At The Mystic Academy you can also take courses on general spirituality, various forms of holistic healing, such as Reiki, learning to read tarot, astrology basics and intermediate studies, and a lot more in the realm of metaphysics.
If you are an educator who would like to know more about teaching in virtual worlds, go to EdTech Island, where you can attend classes and seminars to learn more about in-world education. In addition, see their wiki, which provides details for when the events are being held. Lastly, when you’re in SL, Search on Groups and type in Educators. You will find helpful groups you can join to get you started teaching in SL.
No matter whether you are a student, a life long learner, or a teacher, do a Search in SL on education and discussion to find classes for your interests.