SL Links (or SLinks)

SL itself

Main Second Life page

Most everything else to do with Second Life is accessible from here. Signup link is obvious. To later just download the software for installation at a second site (home, office, wherever), download link is at the bottom of this page.

Lip Flaps movie

This movie is an example of a new genre called "machinima," a movie made by using a game engine instead of high-end animation software. Obviously, this one was made in SL, and both illustrates something of the nature of SL and its quirks. (To some degree, it is an "insider" movie, which will mean more to people already experienced in SL."

The Making of Lip Flap

A first-person account from the view of Anya Ixchel, the principal actress. Gives some significant insight into the process.

Your Tube, Your Imagination

Wagner James Au reports from inside SL. In this article he talks about the "how they did it" for many of the effect seen in "Lip Flap."

Second Life Arts Total Entertainment magazine

An online magazine dedicated to covering arts and entertainment in Second Life, available as a blog or a PDF. Its very existence indicates a strong inworld culture. Its articles give insight into the nature of SL, as well as strong coverage of one segment of SL culture.

The Metaverse Messenger

"A real newspaper for a virtual world." Disclaimer: I am the education correspondent for this newspaper. Nevertheless, I can objectively say it has more downloads than any other inworld publication at this writing (about 50,000 per month). It is a PDF publication designed to provide familiarity by looking like a real life newspaper. Advertising supported--again, an indication that advertisers believe it reaches the readership of the inworld population, and indicative of a functioning self-contained society/culture. Editorially independent of Linden Lab, so this is a source for learning about problems of SL as well as its functioning.

Education and SL

New Media Consortium

Main page for NMC.

NMC Campus Observer

A blog that provides reports on activities related to the NMC campus in SL.

NMC Campus: Seriously Engaging

While this video is specific to the New Media Consortium campus in SL, it is a great introduction to the nature of SL in general, as well as a strong indicator of the educational possibilities.

CyberOne: Law in the Court of Public Opinion

Information about Harvard's law course being taught in SL. Includes a video they shot to explain the concept of the course and the advantages of SL for what they are trying to accomplish. In the video, we see the Real Life Prof. Charles Nesson transform into his SL avatar and interact there with his co-instructor and daughter.

Institutions and Organizations in SL

This newly-created (as of 20 Oct. 2006) lists colleges, universities, libraries, museums, and other education institutions that have a presence in SL. Since this is a Wiki, it is constantly being updated by contributors.

Second Life: The Educational Possibilities of a Massively Multiplayer Virtual World (MMVW)

A formal paper presented at several conferences. It sets the theoretical underpinning for the use of systems such as SL (based in constructivist paradigms), and focuses on the use of SL for a more intense and realistic role-play than what is possible in a classroom, where role-playing has long been used as a teaching tool. A key quote, which in turn quotes another source:

The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) is focused on learning transformation within higher education through the strategic use of information technology. The ELI has identified games and simulations as an emerging key theme affecting teaching and learning.

"Virtually all college students have had experience with games. Games represent active, immersive learning environments where users integrate information to solve a problem. Learning in this manner incorporates discovery, analysis, interpretation, and performance as well as physical and mental activity. An increasing number of colleges and universities are exploring the use of games to enhance learning. The ELI's interest in games and simulations is to gain a fresh view of cognition and learning by looking at games as the intersection of play, pedagogy, and technology." (http://www.educause.edu/Games/1008)

The Chronicle of Higher Education: The Wired Campus

This brief notes how SL "continues to capture the attention of scholars and students,” and references a newspaper article that “profiles several researchers who have taken up residence in the world, including Sarah Robbins, a graduate student in rhetoric and composition at Ball State University." Ms. Robbins used SL as the online component for a class that seems exactly parallel to our hybrid courses. Included with this summary is a reprint of a long article on SL from The Chronicle (http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i06/06a03501.htm).

Second Life Education Research

A blog about education in SL, maintained by an informed participant. I find it particularly intriguing because she examines SL from the standpoint of classic rhetorical theory, which speaks to my training in the speech discipline. For instance, "Applying Gorgias' Theory of Rhetoric to Virtual Environments such as SecondLife” (http://www.secondlife.intellagirl.com/2006/06/07/4/) does an outstanding job of analyzing the nature of virtual environments in light of classical Greek theorists.

Virtual Environments for Online Education

Blog posting from an instructor who built an entire virtual campus in SL. Here is an interesting quote:

I am currently collaborating with faculty from all over the world and most recently helped a Central Missouri State University faculty member present to students and faculty at Sorbonne University in Paris France. While he was physically in Paris, I was in my office in Illinois presenting through my avatar (Ali) in Second Life. Walking along side the presenter's avatar, Ali answered the student’s questions, gave them a tour of an in-world library, a planetarium and a replica of downtown Hanover New Hampshire (Hanover was developed by Dartmouth University for one of their homeland security for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training.) I heard later that my presentation in Paris was a huge success with the students, with tons of questions afterwards about if I was a real person, etc.

Community: Education

SL's official education support page.

Campus: Second Life

Explanation of SL's program for supporting educators in SL.

SLED mailing list

"This list is for educators interested in or currently using Second Life, and we will be using it to send out information we feel is of interest to educators and academics. This list is also an opportunity for all of you to communicate with each other, to find new colleagues and to share your experiences using Second Life for education."

Second Life Education Wiki

Gives and overview of how SL is being used in all kinds of education. The focus is on higher ed, although there are resources for educators working with learners age 13-17 as well. Includes a list of projects being conducted in SL, including one by Harvard Law School and a listing of classes that were taught "inworld" in Spring 2006.

Media coverage

Poynter Online: "11 Reasons Why Massively Multiplayer Games Will Change How Business Works: Part 1"

"This is the first part of my list of noteworthy aspects about massively multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPGs), like Second Life and World of Warcraft. (See Part 2)

I focus on the challenges and opportunities these environments offer for businesses (including news/media organizations), and how we need to reposition our notion of what media is before we can make any sense of it."

Poynter Online: "11 Reasons Why Massively Multiplayer Games Will Change How Business Works: Part 2"

National Public Radio: "A Second Life to Live"

Includes an interview with Adam Pasick (Adam Reuters in SL), the bureau chief for Reuter's new bureau inside SL.

Medgadget: Internet Journal of Emerging Medical Technologies: "Anatomy Goes to Second Life"

"Kim Plowright from the Mildly Diverting [blog] has created 'anatomically-correct' skin for Second Life avatars."

Living a Second Life (The Economist)

Your Second Life is Ready (Popular Science)

Big Media Gets a Second Life (Business Week)

Reuters gets into virtual universe (International Herald Tribune)

Sun Microsystems hosts virtual news conference on 'Second Life' (USA Today) [note: "on Second Life" means "within," not "about"]

Starwood Hotels Turns to Virtual World

Second Life builds the social metaverse: Graphically rich 3-D environment adds new dimension to online community (Infoworld)

At colleges, real learning in a virtual world (USA Today)

Story about Harvard's CyberOne program, reprinted from Christian Science News Monitor.

BBH launches virtual advertising agency (The Guardian)

[Leo] Burnett Sets up Shop in Second Life

CNET launches 'Second Life' presence