What in the (Virtual) Worldis going on?

CATHY ARREGUINinstructionalmuse@mac.com

Santa Barbara Community CollegeExplore It! - March 2009

NBC: THE OFFICE “The Ad” OCTOBER 25, 2007

Dwight: Second Life is not a game. It is a multi-user, virtual environment. It doesn't have points or scores. It doesn't have winners or losers.

Jim: Oh, it has losers.

Dwight: I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then, my life was so great I literally wanted a second one. Absolutely everything was the same... except I could fly.

Dwight: Second Life is not a game. It is a multi-user, virtual environment. It doesn't have points or scores. It doesn't have winners or losers.

Jim: Oh, it has losers.

Dwight: I signed up for Second Life about a year ago. Back then, my life was so great I literally wanted a second one. Absolutely everything was the same... except I could fly.

Imagine this...

Shaking hands with a colleague from China without either of you leaving home...

Going to work without really ever “going” to work...

Flying to your new Air Force Base and meeting those stationed there

without stepping in a plane...

Seeing a professor in the hallway and asking a quick question

even though you’ve never been on campus...

Talking to expert scientists in your high school science class

as they tour you through their latest sustainable housing project ...

Guess what...

you don’t have to imagine

IBM2007: $10 million invested in Virtual Worlds2008:Just the beginning2009:Working towards interoperability http://www.ibm.com/virtualworlds/

Sun MicrosystemsProblem: 50% employees are remote dailySolution: Virtual Campus

http://research.sun.com/projects/mc/mpk20.html

United StatesAir Force

Problem: Distance Training Solution: Virtual Air Base: MyBase

http://www.aetc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-080130-066.pdf

COPYRIGHT 2008, LINDEN RESEARCH, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

HigherEducation

Distance EducationSimulationsGamesAccess to Experts

http://secondlifegrid.net/programs/education

VIRTUAL MOROCCO - JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY

K-12

Distance EducationSimulations - Role PlaysAccess to ExpertsVirtual Field Trips

http://simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life:_Educators_Working_with_Teens

http://pacificrimx.wordpress.com/

U.S.Congress

April 1, 2008Subcommittee hearingin both Washington D.C.and Second Life

http://www.america.gov/st/usg-english/2008/April/20080407131116lcnirellep3.368556e-03.html

SECOND LIFE RESIDENTS VIEWING STREAMING VIDEO OF HEARING

Over 200+ VWs in development for kids alone

Corporate interest

Intel and others

Government & Military interest

Why is this important?

KZERO SURVEY OF VIRTUAL WORLD DEVELOPMENT - FALL 2008

Check this out...

SOURCE: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=503861

What’s the HYPE?

Virtual Worlds offer:

NPIRLCost savings (time, money)

Rich Social MUVE Interaction

Avatar based

Customized Environments

Simulations + REAL People

Engagement

NOT POSSIBLE IN REAL LIFE

Why Second Life?

=

Other MUVE Platforms

Open SimOpen SourceBased on Second Life codeFewer restrictions - Terms of Service - Less costlyLess stable (at this point)Targeted towards niche populations

REACTION GRID - AN EDUCATIONAL OPEN SIM PROJECT

QwaqNot FreeEasy, quick to learnReal time document collaborationLess focused on avatar-based learning QWAQ

Project WonderlandSun MicrosystemsPC onlyLimited content creationBetter for built environments that users respond toRealtime document collaboration

PROJECT WONDERLAND

HiPiHiChinaSecond Life likeReflective of culture

HIPIHI

Virtual Forbidden CityIBM & Chinese GovernmentForbidden CityBuilt environmentLearn history and cultureVirtual Field TripMultiuser interactions

VIRTUAL FORBIDDEN CITY

HTTP://WWW.BEYONDSPACEANDTIME.ORG

Explore!Second Life: http://secondlife.com/

http://secondlifegrid.net/programs/education

IBM: http://www.ibm.com/virtualworlds/

Project Wonderland: http://research.sun.com/projects/mc/mpk20.html

PacRimX: http://pacificrimx.wordpress.com/

Global Kids: http://www.holymeatballs.org/library/video/globalkidsAChildsWarsmall.mov

Explore!Science in Second Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHUocLcj1eU

Open Sim Project: http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Main_Page

Open Sim example - Reaction Grid: http://www.reactiongrid.com/

Qwaq: http://www.qwaq.com/

HiPiHi: http://www.hipihi.com/index_en.html

Virtual Forbidden City: http://www.beyondspaceandtime.org