Two weeks into class and everything is beginning to seem “normal.” Our virtual classroom overlooking the ocean is refreshing and familiar. I know where the front of the class is, where Powerpoint presentations will be shown, and where I need to go to get my materials for class. In fact, I’m even finding that I tend to sit in the same place each session. I know my classmates by their avatars, not by what they look like in the real world, but rather what they look like in world. In fact, for some who I never met in person yet, that’s that only way I know them. I would probably walk right past them in Wist Hall, but not is Second Life.

I’m finding that the sessions have been rich and equal to many face-to-face classes that I’ve had in the past. For me, one of the greatest advantages of having class in Second Life, beyond the fact that I get to be at home, is the interesting worlds that we can visit. When we talk about breaking down the classroom walls, I never did think of it in this sense, however, I’m finding that the more sessions I attend in world, the more I see a future for this method of delivering instruction. I wonder what it’s going to look like in five years when computer processors get even faster and 3D technologies further evolve and mature.

A couple of observations…co-presence or ambient awareness – the sense of being there and connected, is really evident when we’re in Second Life. I mean it literally seems we’re meeting face-to-face when we’re in class and meeting with our groups. I wonder if it’s because, subconsciously, we know that someone is controlling each avatar we see in class? It was funny when Mark, Cheryl and I met a few nights ago in Second Life. At the end of our meeting both Mark and I complemented Cheryl on the dress she was wearing – her Second Life dress. It was a beautiful dress! The lines are getting blurred. Are we beginning to interact with avatars in Second Life or are they merely a window to the person behind the avatar? That would be an interesting study – to see who we begin to associate more with when we’re in a virtual world, avatars or the people who create and control them? In our minds, do we acknowledge a difference between the two or are they one in the same? Is Techtiki and Dean the same? Do people in class think that Techtiki and Dean are the same, think the same, act the same, etc.? I think the methods of communication impact our perceptions. I believe it’s easier to represent yourself differently if you only use local chat and IM. It’s harder to do so when you use audio. Not sure if I’m making sense, but I’d like to follow this train of thought throughout the class and see how I feel at the end. Stay tuned….