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Vassar has a beautiful island in SL which includes this re-creation of the Sistine Chapel. My colleagues and I were impressed with the beauty of the whole island and especially the loving care lavished on the Sistine Chapel feature. The frescoes were just wonderful and flying to the ceiling to view them up close was a thrill. The Raphael tapestries on the walls were an unexpected bonus. While we enjoyed viewing the works, we all agreed that some kind of docent audio tour would enhance the experience.

Edtech in 3D group notes: Site Description: An accurate-to-scale recreation of The Sistine Chapel. Overall impressions: We arrived at Vassar Island, and were immediately in the middle of the experience. We were impressed by the detail in the recreation of the Sistine Chapel, and found it enjoyable to view the paintings and tapestries up close and from different angles. Although the chapel recreation is interesting, we were not very inspired to return. How learning is taking place: Visitors can fly through the Sistine Chapel and view famous pieces of art from angles that would not be possible in real life. Additionally, visitors are unencumbered by crowds or barriers, and some historical information is available. Likes: Painting and floor recreations are very impressive. Access to the artwork from different perspectives is nice (such as flying or changing viewpoints). Clicking on the painting "The Last Judgement" gives a nice history of the painting. Dislikes: Tapestries are hidden, and a sign must be clicked to show them - but the tapestries disappear again in 30 seconds. Unfortunately, most items do not contain historical information. We feel that this location could be greatly improved by giving visitors some information up front, such as the limitations of the experience (mostly the lack of historical information provided), encouraging them to fly up to the artwork for different perspectives, and setting expectations about how much of the artwork in the Sistine Chapel is represented in Second Life. Applications to learning in virtual worlds: We feel that Vassar Island contains both good examples of learning applications in virtual worlds, as well as things that could be improved upon. The detailed recreation of the Sistine Chapel, with the ability to view the artwork from amazing perspectives, can be applied to other learning applications. More historical information or study aids would be very helpful.

link to a very cool map of World Heritage Sites created in the virtual world of Second Life. The map is viewable in Google Maps and includes SLurls to teleport to each of the locations. The information was gathered by New Mexico State University Professory Pete Eidenbach and imported into Google Maps. If you combine this with Virtual Flags and Anthems of the World and our list of 35 Virtual Countries in Second Life then you receive quite a world history or geography lesson.

Annenberg Media provides wonderful resources for teachers of almost any discipline from kindergarten though college. I use the American Passages series in my American Literature classes. Students can watch brief videos, which really bring content to life, but what is great is that Annenberg includes so much more than just videos -- discussion questions, other links to more information, glossaries of key terms, project and essay ideas. The drawback is the passive nature of the site. Students watch videos; they don't create them or edit them. The activities surrounding the videos incoporate reading, writing, and possibly discussing, but these approaches in isolation, as we have seen, do not always provide the most immersive or effective learning experience.

Edtech in 3D group notes: Site Description: Imperial College's virtual hospital where professionals can train and rehearse and patients can learn about healthcare facilities and procedures that they might need to use. Overall impressions: We were immediately impressed with the Medical School. The grounds were beautiful, and the buildings were designed with learning in mind. We liked the patient rooms, and the introductory podcast was a useful start to the experience. Unlike Vassar Island, we felt that we wanted to spend more time in this location - and we were left with a desire to return and learn more. How learning is taking place: Tour guides give visitors a wide range of ways to discover the island. Visitors can visit patients and learn about various medical conditions. From what we could see, lectures and demonstrations are also a large part of learning at the medical school. Likes: We liked the podcast that started playing as soon as we arrived. There were numerous tours and visitor aids, making it easy to get started. We also liked the immediate access to information. This set expectations up front, helping us to enjoy the experience. Dislikes: Because the island is full of information and is very immersive, the user has to go through several layers (tours, walking around, searching) to get to things. Applications to learning in virtual worlds: The patient rooms take advantage of the virtual world to create an experience that can't easily be created in the real world. They are a great example of how Second Life allows deeper learning than can be found by simply reading a book or listening to a lecture - without endangering an actual patient. Other learning experiences could apply this same tactic to become more immersive.

Information and description of Abyss Explorium in Second Life. (Oceanic museum project)

Islamic sites in Second Life used for information and training. Good use of learning objectives and justification of use of 3D environment. A Virtual Makkah, Masjid Al-Haram, Al-Andalus

You can reportedly smashing into your friends as sub-atomic particles, take a tour of a super collider, or look at a variety of DOE informational resources.  I like how lush and verdant the island is, a reminder of how our energy consumption effects the ecosystem around us.

Anyone interested in CSI? What about forensic science to stimulate your science classes? It has posters that give information about the basics of forensic science, as well as scheduled lectures. Inside the examining room, there are pictures (both avatar and real life) of autopsies. In the morgue you can open and close the drawers.

This was a fun place to visit. My little kids enjoyed walking around this scenic SL Zoo. I liked the graphics and the set up. However, I would have liked to be able to interact with the animals. Also, if there were sound effects, they were not available at the time I was in this virtual site. It would have been a nice touch if the creator added informational cards about the different animals that were displayed. I'm going to search around a bit to see if there are other virtual zoos.

This sounds like a great idea for a vitual field trip to a zoo. This might be the only way for teachers to "get out the classoom" because of buget cuts. Too bad there are no sound effects or information cards.

This is a virtual Medical Examiner's Office. It is a work in progress but has quite a bit of information and photos that are not for the light hearted. It is a good place for students who are interested in the medical field. It provides scrubs to wear and other free stuff. There are many notecards that provide description of various medical procedures. A work in progress but recommended for those with interest in the medical or forensic field.

This island is a great way to stay informed about current CDC trends. It is place to meet with those that have similar ailments. Judging by the calendar that is available on the informational walkwayt, it looks as if they hold meetings or conferences with individuals that may be suffering from specific diseases. It is calming and peaceful environment, with sounds of birds chirping and refreshing landscape scenery to enjoy while visiting.

I have always wanted to visit Morocco because of what I've heard of the outdoor markets, mosques, food, beaches, and the culture from friends who have traveled there. This virtual space was actually constructed by students from Johnson & Wales University who had visited and in collaboration with the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. When I teleported, I arrived in front of a fez booth. I took and wore one that allowed me to obtain information about my virtual surroundings as well as provide tips; it did warn me of monkeys. As I wandered thru the open markets, it was devoid of avatars but there was a gentle roar of a large crowd when walking in a specific area, and some of the stalls were empty with a couple of them with For Sale signs. Many of the stalls were offering garments, rugs, spices, kabobs, and baskets for sale. There were notecards, photo slideshows, and videos available that included tourism information and website links. I took a walk/fly thru stone-lined streets and walkways around the quaint residential buildings situated by ocean front views and I noticed that all the buildings have satellite dishes. This was a detailed little city with soccer fields, orange tree gardens, beach, outdoor café, and a mosque. I noticed two monkeys on a stand and I was expecting something to happen when I clicked them on and sat next to them; nothing happened.

This is a simulation of an archeaological dig in Turkey. The site represents a Neolithic village where many generations lived, one building on top of another for over a 1000 years. The textures are appealing and realistic, and there's a lot of information on the patient and reverential process of uncovering bones (generations of families buried under each house) and artifacts of this ancient Neolithic people. "Team OKAPI and Berkeley archaeologists mirror the prehistoric village, museum and archaeology in action at Catalhoyuk, Turkey. Take a guided video walk, visit the museum, explore reconstruction of Catalhoyuk, build your own Neolithic reconstruction and remixes, and much more."

Sun Microsystems has done a lot of work in Second Life, and I visited part of their island. It was very interesting, because it showed their approach to moving portions of their business into a virtual world. They have a mix of customer-facing exhibits that include videos and product information, and resources for employees to meet together. Overall, I think they could take advantage of the interactive features of Second Life, but it's good to see companies using virtual worlds in interesting ways. Sun Microsystems was recently purchased by Oracle. It will be interesting to see how it affects Sun's presence in Second Life.

second life educator education videos

Again, I was alone here, but I found a helpful old-fashioned British phone box with information, including a calendar of events that take place here. I also noticed that genealogy publishers, such as Heritage Books, have a presence here, so that might make it easier for folks to find specific resources to buy or look for at their local libraries.

Their calendar is tied into Google Calendar, so if you want, you can add an event to your own Google Calendar(s) and get reminders. Nice feature.

Diane, have you checked out the Mormon island? I did, and you can access old censuses (sp?) and stuff. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Adam%20ondi%20Ahman/183/51/25

This is a virtual representation of red square. It includes realistic architecture and information. Interestingly, all of the content is available in English or Russian