"Second Life is a new medium that is unlike anything else you have experienced."

Jon Lester (AKA Pathfinder Linden) in Successful Strategies in Second Life ®: the Official Guide, 2007

Today a growing number of educational institutions are discovering that 3-D collaborative virtual learning environments help students learn!

In 2003, Linden Labs created Second Life ® (SL), that is a simulated world where residents create a personal representation of  themselves (known as an ‘avatar’), and may own land, build and create objects like houses and clothing.  Avatars then navigate through simulated landscapes or educational settings and share experiences much like in Real Life. An added benefit is that students can share some experiences usually not available from a classroom.

SL is now being used to foster communication, interactions and collaborations among educators and students.  From applications in healthcare and teacher training to library services access, educational institutions are exploring future uses and researching questions on how best to use SL for education and training.

The University of Texas, Texas State University and now even ACC has a presence in Second Life ®.
The “Know How Island” project for information literacy was made possible through an Innovation Grant  awarded in 2007 to Library Services. 

This year’s Summer Institute will explore ways Virtual Worlds are being used in education; discover which organizations are leading this research; and foster discussion on how instructors might use a virtual learning environment.  Join us in an extraordinary adventure where our journey will literally take us to think outside the box.

Outcomes:

1. Identify organizations that support teaching and learning in Second Life® (NMC, ISTE, ALA)
2. Explore existing education projects in SL (Genome Project, Educator’s Coop)
3. Network with other SL educators
4. Customize an avatar
5. Design a learning space
6. Design 3 activities from your current syllabus objectives and adapt them for Second Life.
7. Collect data on student learning  outcomes

Assessment:
Submit a short 3 page report on the data collected from your project.  After implementing the new activities and collecting data on student learning outcomes, submit a short 3 page report to IDS manager by March 2010.

Audience:

This workshop is designed for faculty members that want to explore virtual worlds for teaching and learning and have the time this summer to do so. 
* Must have basic Mac or PC skills and be able to save, store and manage files.

Schedule:

Institute will total 40 hours and include some face-to-face presentations and practice activities and additional online activities.

Incentive:

Faculty will be compensated at a rate of $25.00/hour for 40 hours. A stipend of $1000 will be distributed upon completion of stated outcomes.  Deadline for completion of projects is July 31st .

To Apply:

Complete the online application form.

Applications

The application process is closed.