Second Life is a "virtual world" somewhat like the game The Sims, I think, although I've never used the Sims. The Sims is a game with goals, however, and Second Life's purpose is not to be a game, but a virtual world and/or meeting place. From what I have read, many people around the country are starting to experiment in using it for simulated educational experiences, and although I'm a total beginner at it, some thoughts I had for use were things like simulating a home visit for students to practice certain skills, or for patient education, etc. You can also hold "virtual meetings" with coworkers or students.
Basically, you can sign up for an "avatar" (your 3D character) and you get a name for your avatar for free (
www.secondlife.com). You can interact with other people on there as well and I think it has some very interesting capabilities, although it is by no means easy to use (in my opinion, anyway, and I feel I'm pretty good w/ the computer).
Some universities lease "virtual islands" in which you can build/create these scenarios. I am going to get some training from our faculty training dept next week... I don't know a whole lot else but this website has an interesting document:
http://facstaff.elon.edu/mconklin/pubs/glshandout.pdf
and also
www.simteach.com
It will be interesting to see if it lasts, I suppose.
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