Resources for Educators Getting Started in Second Life

Yesterday, laura1621, author of Rhetorically Squeaking, commented, “I love what you are doing with Second Life. I have thought about getting involved in/checking out Second Life, but I’m afraid that I would wind up playing versus doing anything remotely work related. Maybe I can figure out a way, now.”

I put the following list together for her and other educators like her who want to check out Second Life but haven’t done it yet.

Websites:

• Second Life
• Second Life Support Center
• Using Virtual Worlds in Education Programs
• Second Life Wiki
• SimTeach: Information and Community for Educators using M.U.V.E.’s
• Second Life Education Wiki
• Websites about Second Life and Education

Videos:

• “Second Life: What Are Virtual Worlds – Intro to Second Life“
• “Second Life Tutorial: Beginner Guide to Getting Started in Second Life“
• “Second Life – Introduction for Businesses . . .“
• “Second Life: Should It Be Your First Choice? Part 1“
• “Trend Analysis:  Second Life“
• “Educational Uses of Second Life“
• “Introduction to Second Life“

Mailing Lists:

• SL Educators
• Educators Working with Teens (13-17)

Organizations:

• AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) in Second Life
• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) in Second Life
• NMC (New Media Consortium) Campus Observer
• The Sloan Consortium

Books:

• A Beginner’s Guide to Second Life. Las Vegas: v3image, 2007. at Amazon.com
• Carr, Paul, and Graham Pond. The Unofficial Tourists’ Guide to Second Life. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007. at Amazon.com
• Rymaszewski, Michael, et al. Second Life: The Official Guide. 2nd ed. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2008. at Amazon.com