This is a little off topic from my usual posts but I thought this was really cool. The Idaho Bioterrorism and Preparedness Program out at ISU is using SecondLife for virtual training.
Play2Train will provide opportunities for training through interactive role playing and will be the foundation for our emergency preparedness educational machinima. This site will document activities and developments in this part of the SecondLife virtual world. This project implements one of the distance learning methodologies proposed by the IBAPP project.
I think that this is a great example of the value that 3D/virtual worlds bring to businesses and organization. Most businesses have used SecondLife strictly for the media attention that it has brought.
Smart companies will look for ways to either add value to the community or are looking at ways that new Web 2.0 opportunities can give them a competitive edge. Training is arguably one of the best ways to do this. Yes things like SecondLife are fun and cool, but serious companies are past that now and onto the next step. Where are you and your company?
Tac,
Good post. I learned from BSU’s Focus magazine this week that the College of Education at BSU actually purchased a whole island in Second Life and used it for distance learning and new media learning methodologies applications. If you hadn’t already heard about it, check it out. I thought this was particularly interesting because the last couple of times I visited BSU, Second Life was blocked on the wireless network, so students and faculty couldn’t access the community from the SUB and various other access points. Apparently, at least selective access is available under the right circumstances.
Brian
Posted by Brian Dickens | 13. Aug, 2007, 12:48 pmVery interesting stuff! As a training professional, I find it interesting that people would use it for legitimate training. Not that it is a bad idea, but Second Life is something that takes time to learn how to navigate. Some people may find it easier than others. As a result, some people may not get all that the training is intended to provide if they are not comfortable in the environment. Just my two cents!
Posted by darlene | 14. Aug, 2007, 4:56 pm