The MERLOT International Conference,
New Orleans, October 9, 2007
Augmenting the MERLOT Tradition with
Multi-User Virtual Environments:
A Guided Tour
By
Sabine Lawless-Reljic, real life host
Dr. Brock Allen, Second Life host
San Diego State University, CA
Agenda
•
•
•
•
Seriously Engaging… (in-world + slide 3)
…And Seriously Researched (slides 4 &5)
MUVEs: What and Why (slides 6, 7, 8)
Meet instructional designer and instructor,
Cathy Arreguin (in-world)
• “Challenging traditional concepts”, Dr. Allen
(in-world)
• Q&A (in-world)
• Resources (slides 9, 10, 11)
New Media Consortium
“NMC Campus: Seriously Engaging”
Science 27 July 2007:
Vol. 317. no. 5837, pp. 472 – 476
The Scientific Research
Potential of Virtual Worlds, by
William Sims Bainbridge
Social scientists and computer
scientists meet at the
intersection of virtual worlds.
These virtual worlds, such as
Second Life and World of
Warcraft, provide new resources
and approaches for research in
political science, sociology, and
economics.
***
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol317/issue5837/cover.dtl
Technology Review (MIT),
July/August 2007:
Current issue
Second Earth, by Wade Roush
The World Wide Web will soon
be absorbed into the World
Wide Sim: an environment
combining elements of
Second Life and Google
Earth.
***
http://www.technologyreview.com/
Multi-User Virtual Environments
• Genres
*Action *Puzzle *Educational *Fighting/combat *Sports *Racing
*Role-play/adventure *Flight *Shoot’em *Platform games *Business
*Board *Word *General entertainment *Fantasy violence *Human
violence *Non-violent sports *Sports violence *Simulation games
• Types
Social environment
Second Life, There, Another Worlds,
Kaneva
Role-Playing Games
World of Warcraft , EverQuest,
Neverwinter Nights, The Realm
Fantasy
DotSoul Cyberspace, Entropia
Universe
The World Wide Web
• Web 1.0:
– static documents
– Print-centric 20th century library
• Web 2.0: (action through the web)
– social internet (interactive, customized, social, and media intensive)
– Multilayered media databases, software programs running inside web
browsers, high-volume community forums, social search tools
• Web 3.0: (virtual environment and interaction through objects
and people)
– web of data and object-like constructs with which users engage
directly through object manipulation interfaces and metaphors
– Web-browsing with 3D experience
Information Objects list
Sharing objects: http://www.technogogy.org.uk/passing_notes.html
Q&A by the lake
Follow-up Meeting
Friday, August 17th, 10:00 a.m. PST
SDSU EdTech Virtual Building, upstairs classroom
San Diego Second Life Pioneers,
Meadowbrook 218, 84, 23
Contact Information
Sabine Lawless-Reljic
(SL: Willow Shenlin)
[email protected]
Dr. Brock Allen
(SL: Doxbrox Allen)
[email protected]
Consulting: Cathy Arreguin (SL: Mari Asturias),
[email protected]
Suggested locations
Location
Second Life URL (slurl address)
NMC Campus
NMC Campus 150, 226, 43
San Diego State University, pICTsl Farm
Meadowbrook 200, 203, 22
San Diego Second Life Pioneers
Meadowbrook 218, 84, 23
Alliance Second Life Main Library
Info Island 107, 146, 33
Social simulation research lab library
Hyperborea 218, 84, 23
International Spaceflight Museum
Spaceport Alpha 47, 82, 24
NOAA’s island
Meteroa 145, 131, 28
UC Davis Virtual Hallucinations
Sedig 26, 45, 21
EdTech Island
EdTech 108, 134, 25
Ivory Tower Library of Primitive
Natoma 209, 164, 27
EduIsland I, II, III
Eduisland 128, 123, 23