Second Life Education FAQ

From SimTeach

Contents 1 Teaching and Curriculum 1.1 Are there curriculum tools or examples I can start with? 1.2 Is this the best M.U.V.E. platform to teach in? 1.3 Is there research on learning outcomes in M.U.V.E.s? 1.4 How can I gather assignments inside the environment? 1.5 How is teaching in SL different from teaching in a regular classroom? 1.6 Where can I find interactive objects that will help in my teaching? 1.7 This environment is very addictive. Will my students spend too much time in here and not enough on the tasks and outcomes of my class? 1.8 How can I learn enough about this environment to manage a classroom? 2 Technical essentials 2.1 Why can't we use our own names in Second Life? 2.2 Can I speak with a microphone so students will hear me? 2.3 I have some videos I want to show in Second Life, what are the steps to this? 2.4 How can I build the skills needed to construct a campus by myself? 2.5 I want to do simulations of physical phenomena. Is the Second Life physics engine accurate? 2.6 My research application requires response times down to the X miliseconds. Can Second Life give me that response time consistently? 3 Business & Logistics 3.1 What kind of grant funding has SL attracted? 3.2 What is a reasonable price for hiring building and scripting consultants? 3.3 I want to buy items and land but my university needs an invoice and PO. 3.4 Do I have other options besides committing to an entire island? 3.5 How long does it take to build a campus presence? 4 Finding peers 4.1 How can I network with professors who have already taught in SL? 4.2 Is anyone in my discipline teaching in here? 4.3 How can I describe SL to my colleagues so that it makes sense? 4.4 My colleagues think I'm wasting my time on video games, how can I convince them there is merit working with students in M.U.V.E.s? 4.5 Who are the top researchers in this field? 4.6 What universities are using the platform? 4.7 Is anyone at my university already involved with M.U.V.E. settings? 5 Estates and Private islands 5.1 I need information about managing my island but the concierge service is sluggish. 5.2 I want to build things in SL but I don't want anyone to disrupt my setting or see my progress. 5.3 Are there best practices for campuses built in SL? 6 Events and Publicity 6.1 How do I promote my in-world event to the general population? 6.2 I want to run an event but I want to limit access to reduce the possibility of "griefers" disrupting the event. 6.3 How can I add a Metaverse component to a regular in-world event? 7 Sex and age issues 7.1 I've seen some racy material in SL. Will this affect my classroom? 7.2 I teach middle school. Is Second Life appropriate? 8 Publish or perish 8.1 What opportunities do I have writing and presentations about MUVEs? 8.2 What press coverage has there been on education in Second Life? 8.3 The SLED mailing list is too active. How can I get information without being buried in extraneous mail?

Teaching and Curriculum

Are there curriculum tools or examples I can start with?

Is this the best M.U.V.E. platform to teach in?

Is there research on learning outcomes in M.U.V.E.s?

How can I gather assignments inside the environment?

How is teaching in SL different from teaching in a regular classroom?

Where can I find interactive objects that will help in my teaching?

This environment is very addictive. Will my students spend too much time in here and not enough on the tasks and outcomes of my class?

How can I learn enough about this environment to manage a classroom?

Technical essentials

Why can't we use our own names in Second Life?

Can I speak with a microphone so students will hear me?

I have some videos I want to show in Second Life, what are the steps to this?

How can I build the skills needed to construct a campus by myself?

I want to do simulations of physical phenomena. Is the Second Life physics engine accurate?

My research application requires response times down to the X miliseconds. Can Second Life give me that response time consistently?

Business & Logistics

What kind of grant funding has SL attracted?

What is a reasonable price for hiring building and scripting consultants?

The prices can vary dramatically. For the top end professional contractors, the costs can reach over US$15,000 per sim ('island') for the building and scripting. For other projects you may be able to recruit volunteers (use the SLED mailing list to ask around) or use cheaper amateur developers. Some amateur developers can be very talented - and some may be looking for showcase projects to help launch a professional career. With volunteer or amateur developers you may not be able to set tight deadlines for the development time.

I want to buy items and land but my university needs an invoice and PO.

Do I have other options besides committing to an entire island?

How long does it take to build a campus presence?

Finding peers

How can I network with professors who have already taught in SL?

Is anyone in my discipline teaching in here?

How can I describe SL to my colleagues so that it makes sense?

My colleagues think I'm wasting my time on video games, how can I convince them there is merit working with students in M.U.V.E.s?

Who are the top researchers in this field?

What universities are using the platform?

Is anyone at my university already involved with M.U.V.E. settings?

Estates and Private islands

I need information about managing my island but the concierge service is sluggish.

I want to build things in SL but I don't want anyone to disrupt my setting or see my progress.

Are there best practices for campuses built in SL?

Events and Publicity

How do I promote my in-world event to the general population?

I want to run an event but I want to limit access to reduce the possibility of "griefers" disrupting the event.

How can I add a Metaverse component to a regular in-world event?

Sex and age issues

I've seen some racy material in SL. Will this affect my classroom?

I teach middle school. Is Second Life appropriate?

Publish or perish

What opportunities do I have writing and presentations about MUVEs?

What press coverage has there been on education in Second Life?

The SLED mailing list is too active. How can I get information without being buried in extraneous mail?

• See this very handy web index of all posts since Oct 05: https://lists.secondlife.com/pipermail/educators

• Set your messages to digest mode by sending an email to

educators-request at lists.secondlife.com

Subject = "set digest plain" (without quotes)

To see all commands use "set help"

On vacation? "set delivery off"

• Use an email filter. Your email client moves "SLED" emails to a separate folder. See:

Outlook: Tools > Rules and Alerts > New Rule

http://itns.ifas.ufl.edu/email-help/Rules.htm

Eudora: http://www.eudora.com/techsupport/tutorials/win_filters.html

Yahoo Mail: Options > Filters

GMail: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6579&topic=1539

• Follow your specific interest on another list

https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo

http://list.academ-x.com/listinfo.cgi/slrl-academ-x.com

• Participate in the SLED forums: http://www.simteach.com/forum

• Leave the list by following these instructions:

https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators