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This is a fun, interactive site which teaches students about the play Oedipus Rex and about conventions of ancient Greek theater, culture and politics. It uses a game show format and contemporary tone to get students engaged. The drawback is that it is text dense. Students simply click on what they think is the right answer. The right answer takes them to the next part of the narrative. The wrong answer takes them to a long paragraph of explanation. There are hot links within the text, though, which open other cool sites with pictures, maps, etc. This is a very specific site intended to enhance a person's study of Oedipus Rex.

See page links as well at Viewer 2.0 box top right with MORE links.

Controversial. Scary. Effective. A young woman is using SL to allow users to experience a virtual imprisonment in Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay. She focuses on a former prisoner, a British national, whose father reads letters from his son while he was imprisoned. The project is called "Gone Gitmo" and presents the idea that such imprisonment is unconstitutional. Avatars experience realistic recreations of camp "cells" and questions are raised about the suspension of Habeas Corpus rights. Whether one finds this appealing or appalling, it certainly evokes emotion and demonstrates the power of virtual worlds as a learning environment.

Silly me. I thought the only controversy in Second Life might be the excessive time some participants spend in world. Wrong. There is a group of users now calling themselves the Second Life Liberation Army, serious about protesting the encroachment of big companies like Sony and IBM into SL. They carry on in world protests and counsels, deliberately "griefing" other groups they resent, mostly corporate entities. They are demanding that Linden Lab (SL's creator) put an end to "corporate control" as they wish to set up their own independent, virtual government including voting rights. Linden Lab doesn't respond, assuming their activites are done tongue-in-cheek. But the movement is gaining momentum and attention. This YouTube video is a BBC news article about the controversy (and yes there are equally venemous right-wing groups). Just when you thought it was peaceful in paradise...(by the way, listen close and you'll get a chuckle out of the female newscaster's pronunciation of the word "avatar" in the introduction)

WOOOOOW. I don't know if that's funny or sad or strange or all f the above. I think people are taking their Gaming a little too seriously. I wonder what these people do in the real life to have enough time to 'protest' ads and corporate placement in SL. DId they really think something that is this big and gaining in popularity would remain untouched by Big Biz forever? Come on now, everything is for sale! Linden needs to make money some how to keep it all up and running. I think people need to step away from the computer once in a while and go outside and live life....

This SLURL drops you right in front of the Sistene Chapel. When you enter there is a reference card to your right that explains how to view the art. It is amazing. You can fly up to the ceiling and actually touch the artwork by Michaelangelo. I would love to take my 7th grade students here or a similar site when we study the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The tapestries by Rapael come to life when you touch them.

I will definitely check this one out. I wow my students with Google Earth's street view and 3D buildings to show them the world. My student population see very little outside of their community, so it comes in handy. I am always looking for news ways to have them "see" the world. Thanks for the links. Now I will continue to pester my IS dept. to loosen up a little and let us have access.

Cynthia, we found the Sistine chapel too ... my group just loved this stunning location. I did not try touching the tapestries! I think we'll go back and check that out. Thanks for mentioning this feature we did not explore!

Potential legal issues dealing with "land" ownership in SL. Not sure what this means for the future, but as the article states, vitrual world are basically lawless. It compares the legality of virtual world to the 16th century. The only problem with this comparison, is that in the 1500s people were being murdered for only being suspected of wrongdoing (or in the case of Muslims and Jews, "wrongbeing"). SL does seem like an anything goes type of place... I wonder how this pending legislation will affect SL. I'm not sure a federal, state or local government has any rights over a virtual space. have to wait to see the results of this legislation.

This zone is dedicated to learning about and using virtual horses. It includes information on how to care for a horse and how to find the horse that is right for you.

This place was a dream for those who love the Renaissance Era. It is complete with Ren Art, merchant shops, jousting competitions, and friendly people throughout. I found the content to be right in line with the seventh grade HSS standards, however, from and interactive standpoint, there wasn't much. It is a fun place to be to interact with others who love this sort of thing.