It's good to see SL get some good press. It's a very timely exhibit, but the principles hold true in other teaching and learning situations as well. With such immersion, learning possibilities are endless. As the article does point out, this is still very much in the exploratory phase for much of academia, but definitely worth the experiment in order to open new worlds not before possible to access.

Amplify’d from http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/s_723607.html

Second Life virtual-reality game: It's not time travel, but it's close

By Mary Ann Thomas, FOR THE VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH Monday, February 21, 2011

Not just an excursion into computer geek territory, Second Life is a computer-based tool that takes students into a virtual world where history comes alive.

"You're giving people an opportunity to time travel," Partridge says. "You put them into an environment to move around in a space where they can understand these places and what it feels like to be there."

Participating in a simulation such as Second Life can be a more interesting alternative to experiencing history than listening to a lecture or memorizing names and dates, he says.

The virtual world seems like a natural venue to provide new learning technologies and opportunities, for example, to learn a new language or meet with people sitting in different places around the world. But, according to Partridge, the technology hasn't gone mainstream yet; it still is in the developmental phase. For example, students need special software to access Second Life and other virtual-reality programs.

"Rather than just look at a picture in a book, you can get in and walk around," he says. Read more at www.pittsburghlive.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/br8l4