Second Life Field Assignment

I took a few trips into Second Life. Some I did by myself, but most of them were with friends in the class. My experiences were different each time and depended on when and what time of day it was I went in. It seemed that on weeknights in the evenings a lot of people hung around orientation island public. I went there as I wrote this on Sunday and there was a smaller crowd. Most people were chatting and not talking. This was the most interesting place for me. I loved to just hang out and listen to what others were talking about. I realized on Sunday that many of them are from Europe. They just hang out and talk about things that don’t matter.

One evening my friends and I went to a dance club and learned new dances. This was really fun and I had a great time watching and learning. The music was good and we all had fun. I then transported to Anteater Island where I wouldn’t stop dancing. I had told my avatar to stop before we left the dance club, but to no avail. It was pretty funny. Even after transporting to Virtual Hallucinations I was still dancing. Everyone was cracking up. My avatar on my screen was not dancing, however on other people’s computer I was. Must have been a glitch.

I enjoyed Second Life and everywhere I went. I especially enjoyed anteater island where we played laser tag, I went through a maze, and had the option of going up to a learning center of some sort.

We also went to Virtual Hallucinations. That was a trip! It is a place where you can see what it is like to be schizophrenic. There are voices in there that tell you what a terrible person you are and how you are dying. There was a gun on the table that said to kill all the police. This is supposedly what schizophrenics hear inside their heads. What a drag.

I also went to an amusement park and rode some rides. That was fun but was hoping to get on a roller coaster. I think you might have to pay for that kind of thing.

I could see that this would be really fun for online learning. I was doing a report about nanotechnology and found nanotechnology island on Second Life. I didn’t know how to fly and work my avatar yet, so I didn’t get much out of it, but could totally see the potential for education. What fun this would be to learn from home on Second Life. It is interactive and allows you to do what you want when you want. I love it!

I also noticed that it takes a while to get comfortable moving around, flying and just getting to know how to make your avatar move. By watching what everyone was doing at orientation island public it makes one realize how many ways one can make their avatar gesture or sit. Many sit atop a fence or sign and swing their leg. I don’t know how this is done, but I am sure one day I will learn.

This is one place I probably will revisit when we are done with class. People watching alone is fun. And all the costumes….bizzare!