1. Where can I learn about Second Life"
2. How can I use Second Life for educational purposes?
3. Has there been any research on the effectiveness of Second Life in supporting teaching?
4. How do I get land for my classroom?
5. What is a reasonable price for hiring building and scripting consultants?
6. Are there best practices for campuses built in SL?
   
   

Q. Where can I learn about Second Life?
A. Start with the Second Life Wikipedia - learn about the history, glossary, applications, etc.

Q. How can I use Second Life for educational purposes?

A. Probably the best thing to do is explore Second Life, visit existing areas set aside for educational projects and talk to other educators. There are numerous additional resources such as this wiki, many blogs, papers from the Second Life Education Workshops (2006 and 2007) and the education mailing list (very high volume, but you can get posts sent to a gmail account or search the archives).

Places to Visit:

• Sites of Interest to Educators
• iPod video converter
• Educational Uses of Second Life

Videos on the Web:

• Second Life video showcase
• SL Best Practices in Education Conference 2007 Video Archive

Groups to Join in Second Life:

In Second Life, click the "Search" button at the bottom of your screen, and under the "Groups" tab, search for

• Real Life Education in Second Life
• ISTE: Educational Technology Assoc
• NMC Guests
• jokaydia New and Info

Q. Has there been any research on the effectiveness of Second Life in supporting teaching?

The University of Cincinnati Second Life Learning community has been collecting a repository of research, white papers, and reports related to education in Second Life specifically, and virtual worlds in general - in addition to other research related to technology in education. Visit the White Papers, Reports, and Peer Reviewed Articles section of the University of Cincinnati Second Life Wiki for more information.

Q. How do I get land for my classroom?

A. First, do you really NEED a classroom? Many educators have taught classes in Second Life without using one, or by sharing space owned by others. Once you've decided that you do need your own land, you can get this by

• Registering for the Campus:Second_Life program for some free land for one semester (limited availability)
• Purchasing land on the Second Life mainland
• Purchasing your own Private Island
• Renting land from one of a number of education oriented organizations - some of these have programs dedicated to providing space and support to educators working in Second Life. For example:
  • NMC Virtual Worlds
  • Video converter
  • buy a paper
  • EduNation

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

A. 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

Q. Are there best practices for campuses built in SL?

A. There is great variety to the look and feel of many campuses and educational locations in Second Life, but some consistent features are beginning to emerge across builds. Chris Collins (SL: Fleep Tuque) and Dr. Nancy Jennings (SL: Sweetpea Sunnyside) conducted an extensive observational survey of publicly accessible educational builds in Second Life from April to May 2007. A poster and white paper document of their initial findings were included in the Second Life Community Convention 2007 - Education Track proceedings, and can be found on the SLCC07 Poster Page section of the University of Cincinnati Second Life Wiki.DVD to Apple TV Converter