Google released three official extensions: you can view your Google Calendar, clip web pages to Google Docs, and view your YouTube feed right from Chrome's navigation bar.
In another session Shailey Minocha and Rita Tingle discussed the importance of a sense of presence and a sense of place which are harder to achieve in a 2D environment. They also suggest from their research that activities in Second Life don’t actually enhance learning in themselves but by creating a sense of community and common purpose they can build motivation in learners which then leads to better learning.
it’s amazing how included you feel…I would never have been able to take part in the activities offered by the OU if they hadn’t been in Second Life…everyone joins in and really helps me learn
The avatar becomes an extension of the self and people in her Glasgow evening classes call each other by their avatar names. Kath feels that people’s identity is more real in Second Life somehow than in their Facebook presence.
Maggie Savin-Baden from Coventry reports that students think play is important but perceive that staff think it’s a distraction from learning.
There is no doubt that virtual worlds are enhancing social contact and quickly become as real to their participants as “real” communication. If you don’t believe this think how much we believe we’re hearing someone’s voice when we pick up the telephone. It’s just a reproduction of their voice transported in multiple ways through complex communication networks but we con ourselves into thinking we’re actually hearing their voice.
Edward Castranova quotes Gartner’s prediction that by 2011 80% of web users will use an avatar and have a “second life”.
Research shows that activities in Second Life don't actually enhance learning in themselves but by creating a sense of community and common purpose they can build motivation in learners which then leads to better learning.