First Impressions

My initial impressions of Second Life were unsettled. Before I joined, I spoke with someone who had experience with Second Life. A former colleague of mine who specializes in the open-source software Moodle  told me about SLOODLE ( a P2 SL version of Moodle) and gave me a brief breakdown of how SL works and how it can be used as an educational tool. He forewarned me that due the unpredictability of high-speed internet availability in Al Ahsa (my current home) using the program to its full potential might be challenging.

I have some experience with online gaming, so I imagined a similar world, but with less violence; Call of Duty was my drug of choice before I checked myself into gaming rehab several years ago. The required readings for a course I am taking on Digital Media alleviated some of my initial skepticism about 3D environments. I had heard of Second Life before, but usually in a negative context. None of that nonsense phased me. Initially, people who frequented online dating sites were seen as social outcasts. How times have changed. I challenge you to find even one American tween who doesn’t have an online dating profile; impossible. Most of my initial skepticism lied in the fact that I had previously underestimated the power of human cognition. Reading about Presence Pedagogy opened up my mind to the prospect of being able to feel a true sense of presence in a 3D environment. I was ready to give it a try.

I went through all of the basic initial formalities, which is standard for any online program. I chose my avatar and spent at least an hour trying to adjust his physical specifications to match mine. I gave up and went for something completely unrealistic. An incredibly tall muscle-bound hunk with a full head of hair; why not?  The orientation process was quite entertaining to say the least. I stood on the beach for  a very long time. I could hear my poor computer straining  under the pressure of running such an enormous program, but surprisingly there was very little lag at first. Some of the avatars who washed up on the beach with me immediately started flying, running around, undressing and talking, but me? I just continued to stand there, trying to figure out what to do next. I finally walked up to another avatar and tried to engage her in conversation. “Hello, this is really interesting” I said. No response. Oh well; I decided to fly. Even though my computer, along with my notoriously incompetent ISP were trying their best to ruin my experience, I continued to explore Second Life for hours.  I wondered to myself, “how can people possibly learn anything here?” aside from social skills of course. At this point, sitting down in a virtual classroom or boardroom seemed unfathomable. I was having way too much fun chatting with dogs from Brazil, cats from Oman and vampires from Slovakia; and flying of course. I love flying. Nevertheless, it was time for me to explore some virtual learning environments. Until next time.