According to Thornburg (2009), a disruptive technology is any
technology that has a dramatic effect on the path of other technologies. After interacting with Second Life and
exploring its capabilities, I am firmly convinced that it is a disruptive technology. To support this claim, Rosedale (2008) stated
that Second Life has the potential to change the way people interact with the
Internet. It has also changed the way
that people interact with each other.
Second Life is a virtual, 3-D world that allows people to create an
avatar and interact with other people.
However, this is not the extent of the power of Second Life. Participants can enter customized worlds or
worlds created by others and interact with people, music, and merchandise. In fact, Second Life allows people to go
shopping in virtual settings and interact with the people that inhabit those
worlds.
Second Life was unveiled in 2010 and has changed over the course of the
past four years (Wikipedia, 2010). While
I did interact with Second Life, I cannot attest to the way it has changed, but
it appears that the graphics and the capabilities have been upgraded as
technology has become available. As I
explored the various worlds, I noticed the number of users worldwide and
realized that this technology is here to stay.
As a first grade teacher, I see the benefits that this technology could
have on my classroom. Students are
always interested in interacting with other students, probably now more than
ever. Creating a virtual world that
provides meeting places for students and provides boundaries that make
interactions safe would give students unlimited collaboration power. It would also give students the opportunity
to travel uninhibited around the world.
Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Disruptive Technology. Emerging and future technology.
Baltimore, MD: Author.
Margaret,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your posting. Second Life can be really beneficial to the classroom. I read in some of my research that it could eventually replace online learning and other aspects of education. I also read that there would be a lot of resistance to using virtual worlds as an educational tool. There are many benefits of virtual worlds, but there are also a lot of risks with children interacting with others in a virtual world. What do you think? Good post.
Brian
Margaret,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brian in the fact that Virtual Worlds could have tremendous weight in educational settings, but students will find a way to pervert the use of Second Life or any other virtual setting. However, we agree that the ramifications of such technology in the classroom could bring about tremendous change to education. Great blog post.