According to Thornburg (2009), Second Life (SL) was disruptive because it did not allow for a gradual transition into the technological world. It did not evolve from other technologies, but made some obsolete which caused a loss of jobs/livelihoods. One of the ways it will effect me is the virtual classroom could possibly replace the traditional classroom. Second Life participants have the potential to view life as a simple social game and use it in inappropriate ways. Some people, such as my husband, think SL may cause students to identifying too closely with avatars. Just as some people view the older cartoons such as The Roadrunner as too violent, they see the social aspect of the virtual classroom dangerous. I don't see that this problem can't be resolved. It could allow a way to keep students safer by hiding their true identity. The roadrunner was a cartoon. Second Life's avatars are what they are - motivating replicas. Rosedale (2008) stated that SL can help with global communication skills as well as language development and provide a media that allows for students to communicate with different countries throughout the world, allowing for tolerance of other cultures and advocating diversity. I see it as having the potential to help students that have trouble communicating and as a motivational tool in the elementary classroom. It could help the homebound student feel more a part of "real" traditional classroom as well as keep bias formed by the face-to-face daily interactions with people to a minimum. I think SL has about three more years at that time it'll be replaced by the halo deck.
Reference
Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video], Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html
Thornburg, D. (2009). Disruptive technology. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/
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Debra--just out of curiosity, do you consider our Walden U virtual classrooms to be dangerous? After all, we are in a virtual setting without walls, and are part of a virtual community that has a common interest but no other actual links (like nationality, geographic region, etc.)--the only difference between what we have now and a Second Life activity is the visual element, and also synchronicity. Something to think about!
ReplyDeleteDebra,
ReplyDeleteI am sort of with your husband on this. While I see Anne's point that Walden is similar to Second Life, I see that young children might become too engrossed in the visual elements to get the point of the lessons. I remember when I Skyped with your class last year. They seemed more interested in me and my car than they were in where I live.
And, Anne, I notice that while you are very pro SL, you have a cat as your avatar in this blog. I wonder if that is because you want the anonymity that an avatar provides or are you simply able to make the decision as an adult that maybe others don't need to know what you look like. I also wonder how many kids could make that distinction without help.
Cyndy
Disruptive technology can be described as a new technology with the same functions of an existing technology but operates more efficiently and effectively thus making the other obsolete. Rosendale views it as a place to explore, interact, and where you can be anything you want. I agree that the virtual classroom could possibly replace the traditional classroom. However, in the long run I think that some kids will still need a warm body in front of them. I can’t imagine some of the lower elementary students in a virtual classroom.
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