Week 4 - Blog Posting #7 - Second Life glstrom

I couldn’t agree more with Albert Bandura’s social networking theory that we learn form our interactions with others, in fact I believe that is how some people learn most effectively. Observation, imitation and behavior modeling are powerful methods of learning certain skills, and second life is an environment where this can take place on many levels. In case someone wonders if someone is just wandering about aimlessly in this world is should be known that with direction and planning their can be ample opportunity for developing important skills such as collaboration and communication within this second life platform.

I appreciated the video (xxArete2xx (2007, May 29) Education in Second Life: Explore the Possibilities [Video File]. Video posted to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMGR9q43dag) as it gave many examples for all types of teachers to use while integrating SL into their curriculum. Having directed dozens of plays and musicals over the years I can also see the benefit to being able to experience vicariously the feeling of performing in front of a crowd, seeing the globe theater and hearing the words of Shakespeare performed in a virtual world. Providing a safe place to experiment, explore, learn and grow, SL can help students experience the world in a unique way. This being said, there is nothing that can compare to the memorable experience of seeing artwork in person (or at least a photo or video representation would be a more accurate depiction of paintings, sculpture, etc), standing in front of the Mona Lisa, Sistine Chapel, Arc de Triumph, etc. Nor does SL replace the experience of actually being on stage in front of a dozen or hundreds of people. It certainly is a great addition to reading from a text and perfect to use in conjunction with the actual experience, whatever it may be. It also may be as close as some may come to that reality, or give them the desire to create these worlds themselves, encourage them to take some chances, and explore new worlds. To me that is what education is all about, giving them the confidence and desire to find out what else is out there simply by exploring the possibilities.