When Congress came into Second Life for their first ‘in world' meeting on the 1 April this year, one of the things they discussed was using Second Life for Education purposes, and how this will have an enormous impact regarding the way subjects are taught in the future at schools and Universities. 

I had the pleasure of meeting a handsome blue wolf avatar called Downtown Bloch (Downtown is the avatar used by all of the Instructional Support Group of the IS&T Department at Georgia State University), The lady I met using the Downtown avatar invited me over to the Second Life Georgia State University Island for an insight into the fantastic work she is doing to bring Second Life knowledge to, not only her own university, but also to other Universities.

In real life Downtown's job in Georgia State University is to support professors and teachers in using technology within their teaching skills.  She found out that a couple of professors were using Second Life for their classes.   As Downtown was the only member of her team who used the virtual world, she decided to develop tutorials and ‘help guides' and a film for other teachers.

I asked her what advantages there were to using Second Life as a teaching aid in comparison to ordinary lectures.  She explained that since the virtual world is a more a ‘hands on', ‘test it out' environment, students get more from actually trying something rather than just listening about it.

For example, one of the professors wants to build a virtual hospital so that her students can see what it is like to work in a hospital before they actually begin their clinical work.   A major advantage to this as well, is that fact that it cost effective, saving vast amounts of money that such a project would cost them in real life.  Also Advertising and Business students can create and run real businesses in Second Life, something too expensive for them to do in the real world.

Downtown also explained that History and Art students can visit sims in the virtual world like Rome and the Sistine Chapel, giving them almost lifelike experiences within a safe environment.   That's why Downtown decided to create ‘self help' guides to Second Life so that many more students and professors can experience this.

Downtown told me that the SL Educators listserv ( https:/lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators ) is a great means of exchanging ideas, a type of email forum for teachers who post ideas and thoughts on teaching in Second Life, Downtown points her professors to these types of sites.

Georgia University in Second Life is a well built, well designed site and a nice place to visit.  Downtown told me that everything was freebies or things that she had built herself, she said there were many generous Second Life people who share their stuff.  The only bought items were the fish station and the PPT board. 

Downtown first learned about Second Life in September 2006 when she created her own personal avatar.  She co-taught with a professor in the Spring of 2007 using the virtual world, and with the ‘go ahead' from J. L Albert, Associate Provost for IS&T and Chief information Officer (C10), the Uni purchased the Island on New Year's Eve, 2007.  The Uni was opened in Second Life on 10 March 2008.  (Georgia University, Region Five Points).  Downtown told me that they have just received the funding for six more Islands that will be used for GSU professors who want to teach in Second Life. 

There are around 300 Universities in Second Life at the present time.  If anyone had any doubts about the future of Education in Second Life, they only have to meet Downtown, whose enthusiasm and practicality, as well as her talent for foresight into the future of studies, would soon see that this is the beginning of a revolution in respect of teaching.   For further information about the teaching self help guides and film you should contact Downtown Bloch ‘in world'.

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