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Understanding Second Life as an extension of ourselves through the Identification of 5 characteristics of this Virtual Environment

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Gloria Gómez Diago
Gloria Gómez Diago

The document identifies 5 key characteristics of the virtual world Second Life: 1) high level of detail in representations, 2) intelligent objects, 3) tools for displaying content, 4) social environment for interaction, and 5) connections to real world issues and topics. It provides examples to illustrate each characteristic, such as using Second Life to display educational content or participate in simulations. The purpose is to understand how Second Life can be used for practical applications.

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UnderstandingSecondLife as anextension of ourselvesthroughtheIdentification of 5 characteristics of this Virtual EnvironmentGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)1flying
Index Introduction 1, The detail in the representation of the things 2, Intelligent objects 3, Tools for displaying contents 4, Social environment 5, Linked to “real world”ConclusionsGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)2flying
IntroductionThisisanexploratoryworkthatidentifiesfivesalientcharacteristics of the Virtual WorldSecondLife. Theslides show someof theactionsthatcan beaccomplished in SecondLife. Thepurposeistohelp in achievingusefulapplications of this Virtual EnvironmentGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)3flying
1, The Detail in the representationThedetail in therepresentation of theobjects in SecondLifeisveryhigh. Thelights, theshapes, thecolors. .. Thiscontributestocreate a sensation of immersion and tofeelthatyou are in a humanspace. Most of theobjects, buildings and shapes are copyfromthe“real life”.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)4flying
1,The Detail in the representationThefacilitiyforcreatingscenes, objects and buildingsitisappliedwithdifferentpurposeslikerepresenting real buildings. This can beveryusefulfortestingtheirappearanceorforexplainingtheircharacteristics. Forinstance, organizingan art classintotheSistineChapel, in SecondLife, wouldhelpstudentstobefocusedonthelesson.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)5flying
2, Intelligent objectsObjects in S. L can beintelligent. Therefore, there are places thathavetoolsavailablethatgiveinformation and evenevaluatetheknowledge of peopleaboutseveraltopics. ForinstanceSt Georges UniversityParamedic Training Scenarioisdesignedforexplainingpeoplehowtheymustact in emergencysituationsGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)6flying
2. IntelligentobjectsYou can choosethecontextin whichyouwanttobeinvolved. In this case, I am (into my avatar) in front of a robot avatar whohadanaccident in thekitchen.If I touchit, someoptionswillappear in orderto try tohelpthe avatar.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)7flying
2. Intelligent objectsOneClimate Island is a place whereyou can findinformationabouttheclimatechange. There are boards, which show data abouttheissue, slidesthatdisplaytextsabouttheactionsthatmustbetakenintoaccount in ordertoavoid more damages...Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)8flying
3. Tools for displaying contentsThus, in S.L you can displaycontentsusingboards, screens, etc. In thisphotoyou can see a screenthatis set in OneClimate Island. Ifyoutouchthescreen, youwillbeinvitedtowatchseveral videos. Forchoosingtheoneyouare interested in, youmusttouchit.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)9flying
3. Tools for displaying contentsThetoolsfordisplayingslides are popular foritsgooddesign and ease of use. In theimage, you can see a graphic I havemadetorepresent a classification of communicationtheories done byEm Griffin. Theuniquedisadvantageof usingslidesisthatitisnecessarytopay10 lindsforeachimageyouuploadintosecondlife. Nevertheless, there are alternativessuch as thesloodlepresenterthatallowsshowingimageswithoutpay.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)10flying
3. Tools for displaying contentsIn SecondLifethere are severalplaces forgettingtoolsthat are suitableforeducativeorresearcherpurposessuch as the International SchoolsorEdunation. Moreover, there are scriptersthat can designthetoolyouneed.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)11flying
4. Social environmentBeing in touchwithpeoplefromdifferentcountries and culturesisone of thebestapplications of SecondLife. Theenvironmentiscomfortablefororganizingmeetingsbecauseitenhancesthefeeling of sharing a commonspace. Thus, we can do activitiesin groupas brainstormingorgroupdiscussions.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)12flying
4. Social environmentForcommunicatingwithotheravatars, you can use the local chat orsendprivatemessages. Moreover, you can communicatebyvoice. Foraddingan avatar as friendyouonlyneedtotouch in hisname (overhis head) Then, youwillcan tosendtohim a “friendshipoffer”. The avatar whomyou invites can acceptorrejectyourfriendship.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)13flying
4. Social environmentOnce time youhaveaddedan avatar as friend, youwillknowwhen he orsheisintoworld. Moreover, itispossiblecommunicatewithavatarsusinginstantmessagealthoughthey are not online. Theywillreceivethemessageswhentheyenterinto S.L.Otherusefulactionforbeing in contactwithothersconsistsonjoinintogroups. There are severalgroupsrelatedtodifferenttopics and evenyou can createyourowngroupGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)14flying
4. Social environmentBecoming a member of groups of yourinterestisoneof thebestwaysforreceivinginformationabouttheeventsthat are organizedin SecondLife. There are differentkind of groupswhichcoverdifferentissues. Some are notvery active and a few are lively. Ifa Groupdoesnotsendtoyouanyinformation, leaveit and try another. We can be in twentyfivegroups as maximum.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)15flying
4. Social environmentFirst times in SecondLife can befrustratingifyouthinkthatyouwillfindmanyavatars in the places youvisit. During my firstweeks in SecondLife, I created 5 Criteria, definedbyitemsforevaluatingeducative places in SecondLife: 1, Affluence of people , 2, Interaction 3, Information, 4, Organization and type of lectures, 5, Possibilitiesforbeinginvolved in a group.Afterevaluatingmany places, I becameaware of thefactthatforsocializinginto S.L wemustjoinintogroups , subscribe tolistssuch as Second Life Educators List or check webpages as Sldevents for educators in Second Life Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)16flying
5. Linkedto Real WorldA smalltravelintoSecondLifewill show toyouthat“real life” isalwayspresentin thisvirtual environmentnotonlybecauseobjects and buildings are similar totheoneswehave in “real life” butbecausethere are places focusedontopics andissuesthat are part of ourlife. In theimagesyou can seeonelocationforsupportingObama and one place whereyou can obtaininformationabouttheswineflueGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)17flying
ConclusionsSecondLifeamplifiesourcapabilitiesforestablishing social relations. This can improvethedevelopment of business, educationalorresearchactivities. FollowingMcLuhan'sapproach, thesekind of toolsoperate as extensions of thebody, removingbarrierslinkedtothespace and the time. Piere Levy (1998: 24) emphasizesthehumanaspect of these virtual environmentswhen he saysthat“virtualizationis a reinvention, a multiplication, a heterogenesis of thehuman”.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)18flying
ReferencesG.DIAGO, Gloria (15 diciembre, 2008) “Criterios para evaluar Sitios educativos en SecondLife” http://fromcommunication.blogspot.com/2008/12/criterios-para-evaluar-sitios.htmlLÉVY, Pierre (1994) L'intelligencecollective. Pour une anthropologie du cyberespace. La Découverte, Paris.MCLUHAN, Marshall (1964) Understanding Media: TheExtensions of Man. GingkoPressSistineChapel in SecondLifehttp://slurl.com/secondlife/vassar/165/91/24Second Life Educators Listhttps://lists.secondlife.com/cgbin/mailman/listinfo/educatorsGSldevents for educators in Second Life. http://sledeventsmini.blogspot.com/ One Climate http://slurl.com/secondlife/OneClimate/130/127/27International Schools. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/54/202/34Edunation. http://slurl.com/secondlife/EduNation%20II/142/215/25 Sloodle (Simulation Linked Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) http://www.sloodle.org/moodle/Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)19flying

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Understanding Second Life as an extension of ourselves through the Identification of 5 characteristics of this Virtual Environment

  • 1. UnderstandingSecondLife as anextension of ourselvesthroughtheIdentification of 5 characteristics of this Virtual EnvironmentGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)1flying
  • 2. Index Introduction 1, The detail in the representation of the things 2, Intelligent objects 3, Tools for displaying contents 4, Social environment 5, Linked to “real world”ConclusionsGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)2flying
  • 3. IntroductionThisisanexploratoryworkthatidentifiesfivesalientcharacteristics of the Virtual WorldSecondLife. Theslides show someof theactionsthatcan beaccomplished in SecondLife. Thepurposeistohelp in achievingusefulapplications of this Virtual EnvironmentGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)3flying
  • 4. 1, The Detail in the representationThedetail in therepresentation of theobjects in SecondLifeisveryhigh. Thelights, theshapes, thecolors. .. Thiscontributestocreate a sensation of immersion and tofeelthatyou are in a humanspace. Most of theobjects, buildings and shapes are copyfromthe“real life”.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)4flying
  • 5. 1,The Detail in the representationThefacilitiyforcreatingscenes, objects and buildingsitisappliedwithdifferentpurposeslikerepresenting real buildings. This can beveryusefulfortestingtheirappearanceorforexplainingtheircharacteristics. Forinstance, organizingan art classintotheSistineChapel, in SecondLife, wouldhelpstudentstobefocusedonthelesson.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)5flying
  • 6. 2, Intelligent objectsObjects in S. L can beintelligent. Therefore, there are places thathavetoolsavailablethatgiveinformation and evenevaluatetheknowledge of peopleaboutseveraltopics. ForinstanceSt Georges UniversityParamedic Training Scenarioisdesignedforexplainingpeoplehowtheymustact in emergencysituationsGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)6flying
  • 7. 2. IntelligentobjectsYou can choosethecontextin whichyouwanttobeinvolved. In this case, I am (into my avatar) in front of a robot avatar whohadanaccident in thekitchen.If I touchit, someoptionswillappear in orderto try tohelpthe avatar.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)7flying
  • 8. 2. Intelligent objectsOneClimate Island is a place whereyou can findinformationabouttheclimatechange. There are boards, which show data abouttheissue, slidesthatdisplaytextsabouttheactionsthatmustbetakenintoaccount in ordertoavoid more damages...Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)8flying
  • 9. 3. Tools for displaying contentsThus, in S.L you can displaycontentsusingboards, screens, etc. In thisphotoyou can see a screenthatis set in OneClimate Island. Ifyoutouchthescreen, youwillbeinvitedtowatchseveral videos. Forchoosingtheoneyouare interested in, youmusttouchit.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)9flying
  • 10. 3. Tools for displaying contentsThetoolsfordisplayingslides are popular foritsgooddesign and ease of use. In theimage, you can see a graphic I havemadetorepresent a classification of communicationtheories done byEm Griffin. Theuniquedisadvantageof usingslidesisthatitisnecessarytopay10 lindsforeachimageyouuploadintosecondlife. Nevertheless, there are alternativessuch as thesloodlepresenterthatallowsshowingimageswithoutpay.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)10flying
  • 11. 3. Tools for displaying contentsIn SecondLifethere are severalplaces forgettingtoolsthat are suitableforeducativeorresearcherpurposessuch as the International SchoolsorEdunation. Moreover, there are scriptersthat can designthetoolyouneed.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)11flying
  • 12. 4. Social environmentBeing in touchwithpeoplefromdifferentcountries and culturesisone of thebestapplications of SecondLife. Theenvironmentiscomfortablefororganizingmeetingsbecauseitenhancesthefeeling of sharing a commonspace. Thus, we can do activitiesin groupas brainstormingorgroupdiscussions.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)12flying
  • 13. 4. Social environmentForcommunicatingwithotheravatars, you can use the local chat orsendprivatemessages. Moreover, you can communicatebyvoice. Foraddingan avatar as friendyouonlyneedtotouch in hisname (overhis head) Then, youwillcan tosendtohim a “friendshipoffer”. The avatar whomyou invites can acceptorrejectyourfriendship.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)13flying
  • 14. 4. Social environmentOnce time youhaveaddedan avatar as friend, youwillknowwhen he orsheisintoworld. Moreover, itispossiblecommunicatewithavatarsusinginstantmessagealthoughthey are not online. Theywillreceivethemessageswhentheyenterinto S.L.Otherusefulactionforbeing in contactwithothersconsistsonjoinintogroups. There are severalgroupsrelatedtodifferenttopics and evenyou can createyourowngroupGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)14flying
  • 15. 4. Social environmentBecoming a member of groups of yourinterestisoneof thebestwaysforreceivinginformationabouttheeventsthat are organizedin SecondLife. There are differentkind of groupswhichcoverdifferentissues. Some are notvery active and a few are lively. Ifa Groupdoesnotsendtoyouanyinformation, leaveit and try another. We can be in twentyfivegroups as maximum.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)15flying
  • 16. 4. Social environmentFirst times in SecondLife can befrustratingifyouthinkthatyouwillfindmanyavatars in the places youvisit. During my firstweeks in SecondLife, I created 5 Criteria, definedbyitemsforevaluatingeducative places in SecondLife: 1, Affluence of people , 2, Interaction 3, Information, 4, Organization and type of lectures, 5, Possibilitiesforbeinginvolved in a group.Afterevaluatingmany places, I becameaware of thefactthatforsocializinginto S.L wemustjoinintogroups , subscribe tolistssuch as Second Life Educators List or check webpages as Sldevents for educators in Second Life Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)16flying
  • 17. 5. Linkedto Real WorldA smalltravelintoSecondLifewill show toyouthat“real life” isalwayspresentin thisvirtual environmentnotonlybecauseobjects and buildings are similar totheoneswehave in “real life” butbecausethere are places focusedontopics andissuesthat are part of ourlife. In theimagesyou can seeonelocationforsupportingObama and one place whereyou can obtaininformationabouttheswineflueGloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)17flying
  • 18. ConclusionsSecondLifeamplifiesourcapabilitiesforestablishing social relations. This can improvethedevelopment of business, educationalorresearchactivities. FollowingMcLuhan'sapproach, thesekind of toolsoperate as extensions of thebody, removingbarrierslinkedtothespace and the time. Piere Levy (1998: 24) emphasizesthehumanaspect of these virtual environmentswhen he saysthat“virtualizationis a reinvention, a multiplication, a heterogenesis of thehuman”.Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)18flying
  • 19. ReferencesG.DIAGO, Gloria (15 diciembre, 2008) “Criterios para evaluar Sitios educativos en SecondLife” http://fromcommunication.blogspot.com/2008/12/criterios-para-evaluar-sitios.htmlLÉVY, Pierre (1994) L'intelligencecollective. Pour une anthropologie du cyberespace. La Découverte, Paris.MCLUHAN, Marshall (1964) Understanding Media: TheExtensions of Man. GingkoPressSistineChapel in SecondLifehttp://slurl.com/secondlife/vassar/165/91/24Second Life Educators Listhttps://lists.secondlife.com/cgbin/mailman/listinfo/educatorsGSldevents for educators in Second Life. http://sledeventsmini.blogspot.com/ One Climate http://slurl.com/secondlife/OneClimate/130/127/27International Schools. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Info%20Island/54/202/34Edunation. http://slurl.com/secondlife/EduNation%20II/142/215/25 Sloodle (Simulation Linked Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) http://www.sloodle.org/moodle/Gloria Gómez-Diago (October 2009)19flying