Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Disruptive Power of Second Life (Module 4)


Second Life provides the ability for people to get inside a computer through a virtual world and build stuff (Rosedale, 2008). Thornburg (2009) explains disruptive technology as “new technology with the same functionality of an existing technology, but it functions more efficiently, and then obsoletes that technology”. Second life has taken the use of the Internet to another level. The ability within Second Life to create multiple scenarios allows users to work under various conditions which promote collaboration and creative thinking. Second Life is growing similar to the Internet in the early 90’s. Second Life may replace the Internet as we know it today. I do not view Second Life as being replaced no time soon because of the current up growth.

Second Life has a universal function which sets the company apart from other companies such as Proton Media with similar products. Proton Media focal point is business collaboration whereas Second Life has a bigger concept that touches more than the business environment. The bigger concept that has a universal focus is one reason CEO Philip Rosedale was the system to be easier like the iPhone. One of the benefits of Second Life is the enhancement of education. Second Life adds personalization to education which is an upgrade from previous delivery methods of distance education. Second Life can be an option to enhance collaboration in my distance education program.

References
Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.
Thornburg, D. (2009). Disruptive technology. (Vodcast) Emerging and Future TechnologyDVD produced by Laureate Education. Baltimore: Author.
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3 comments:

  1. DollyJuly 30, 2011 at 10:16 PM

    I believe Second Life has a lot to offer the educational community and distance learners because of it's functionality. But what I and other educators see as an obstacle to full integration into K-12 distance education is the lack of security for a group that requires additional protections.

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  2. W. Ardoin-BaileyJuly 31, 2011 at 12:17 PM

    Sullus


    Though Second Life does seem to offer more to the existing distance learning community, why do you believe it is slow to fully adapt? Is it the setup, the participants, or its structure? Do you believe it has potential to overcome the many obstacles and surpass the popular social media?

    ~Wanda

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  3. Lewis ChappelearJuly 31, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    Sullus, I like your comment on using Second Life to enhance a distance learning program. I think that it would have been a great idea to have this class on Second Life, and we would all have to create avatars and "meet" each other in this virtual world. The only downside would be that most of us live in different time zones and it would be very difficult for us to all meet at the same time. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for education!

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