I's sorry, but it's just not there for me. I just spent an hour looking around and really got nowhere. I know that there is a lot to SL and I'm sure that some people can get some good out of it, but if I owned a company, and one of my employees suggested SL to me to meet for a buisness gathering, I would be a bit upset at the time spent to bring people together in this virtual world and to talk with them. Same thing could happen in a video conference. And I certainly wouldn't want to me with other buisness owners in this fashion. First, I would want to hear their voice and see what they REALLY looked like. Not some avatar. I know ther's voice, but you still have to have everybody on.
NASA was interesting. It was one of the few places I could look around and get information relitively easy. I did get stuck in the observatory. That was one of many places I stuggled to get in and out of.
I also searched around looking for places in California, like Yosemite and Hollywood. Found a place that was selling SEX LOUNGE FURNITURE. What's that? And if anyone answers, I'm gonna wonder??? :)
Ken, I felt the same way that you did the first time I tried Second Life. Even though it would still take some convincing, I'm starting to see a lot more possibilities more from the high school and university education side than the business side, as you indicated. Even though it doesn't excite me much, I definitely could see it engaging students if I could figure out an effective use of it.
ReplyDeleteI with you. I don't want to talk to some avatar, I want to talk and see the real person. I do think it is really easy to go to the "wrong" place...creepy.
ReplyDeleteIt is a frustrating place, I think there is just too much for a person who isn't going to be a regular user. I don't like teleporting to a new place and walking in on someone else's conversation. Very strange and intrusive. And I'm not really sold on the students can be immersed in a world idea. If you go to a museum, they don't see the actual paintings they see the chopping SL version, why can't they see the actual clear picture?
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating, but I think it's suited for certain people who would do really well with it. It's just not for most of the people in our class. =)
ReplyDeleteWas NASA cool. I didn't visit there.
ReplyDeleteKen-
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you were able to visit so many plaes. I think it is hard to maneuver around as well, but it looks like you were somewhat successful.
HAHAHAH! That is hilarious! I really don't like SL either. I had to use it last year in a class and it was terrible. Why waste all that time in an alternate reality when I don't have time in real life to complete everything that needs to be done!?
ReplyDeleteWow. The fact that you saw that store (whatever in the heck that is) REALLY makes me think this probably shouldn't be use in educational K-12 settings. I could just see parents calling in saying "Just what exactly are you having my kid do in class?"
ReplyDeleteI, too, think FIRST LIFE (face to face situations) needs to be mastered before I think about teaching my students this.
Ken,
ReplyDeleteI really don't know what "sex lounge furniture" is, really I don't! I am thinking it is furniture for a "sex lounge", so we could ponder that location in ones house, hehe. I too found it not very professional. I went to the Nelson here is KC about a month ago and there is an exhibit about virtual worlds. Very interesting.
Thanks,
Wendy
I too ran across some things that really would not care to find and I have also ran into "flashing" (nude but they just may have changed clothes and not know how to get dressed) avatars that was rather startling. I would hope that educational sites would have more mature users, but that is never a guarantee. I would much rather invest in video conferencing than spend the time and energy building an environment to train.
ReplyDeleteKen, you sure you were searching for California sites? ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a huge SL fan but there are die hard ed. users out there (that's why we set up that island for the university). While I can't see myself using it, those whom I did help (training) did a pretty decent job.
NASA was interesting. I liked that. There's an underwater aquarium too. I learned about different fish from different depth of the ocean. There were others too but yes, the search engine can bring up some interesting places!