There's no doubt that
Second Life, the online, first-person, virtual community, is fascinating but using it in a university setting always seemed like a pipe dream to me. Since most of the world resembles a seedy, albeit fabulous, red light district,
visiting Linden is a little like taking a trip to Amsterdam. Not exactly a perfect fit for mainstream academia.
Nevertheless, it looks like
Harvard is starting to offer classes that take place almost exclusively within the confines of SL's virtual world. Makes me wonder if we should be producing virtual SU t-shirts for Second Life.
Is anyone out there actually using SL or is it just a playground for nerds and ivy-leage
otaku?
Updates:
- 8/30 - Incidentally, the class is open to the public. If you decide to check it out, you'll definitely see me there.
- 8/30 - More on university applications of Second Life from The Chronicle Wired Campus Blog.