I am taking the position of Second Life as a replacement to labs. I have a colleague who uses Second Life as a component of his criminal investigations course. This lab space gives online students lab experience.
Reference
Baker, S.C., Wentz, R. & Woods, M.M. (2009). Using virtual worlds in education: Second Life as an educational tool. Teaching of Psychology, 36(1), p. 54-64. DOI: 10.1080/00986280802529079
Erica,
ReplyDeleteThe CSI lab sounds intriguing. Do you know how much it cost your colleague to get the "land" in SL to build his lab? Do you know how he programs things to behave like they would in a crime scene investigation? For example placing a chemical on something and having that thing react to the chemical? Do you know if students have a steep learning curve with SL as a classroom technology?
I do see the holographic video conferencing (http://www.eyeliner3d.com/cisco_telepresence_holographic_video_conferencing.html) as a more "realistic" version of SL with more interesting possibilities.
Scott
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI am testing this post again.
Lynda Marshall
Erica,
ReplyDeleteAs I tried to post earlier today, I stated that my colleague in criminal justice is working on setting up a crime scene lab in Second Life. I will keep you posted on how he is progressing.
Also, in response to your question about cost, I believe cost is a determining factor on whether programs continue or begin. I know at our 2 year college funds are critical elements to our program operations and employment. In the past when the economy was good our state provided 80% of financial needs to our programs but to date the college must seek funds through enrollment, alumni, and community support.
Lynda Marshall
Scott,
ReplyDeleteI will email him after the holiday and see what information he can give me :)
Lynda,
As Open Source becomes more popular, I can see programs like SL and holographic technology becoming free or at a much lower cost.
Erica