Three weeks of class in Second Life and I’m continuing to enjoy attending sessions in the virtual world. Got rid of my mustache – the one I didn’t know I had, found some cool jeans – just like the ones I bought in the real world, and attended a social at the virtual UH campus – something I haven’t done in years. I’ve learned how to build things in Second Life and even competed in a Primsionary game where my building skills were tested. Okay, I know, I have a long way to go before I’ll be building anything that’s architecturally significant.
One thing I noticed this past week reading articles for my annotated bibliography assignment was that many of the topics were similar when it comes to the use of virtual online environments for education – at least the ones that I read. What particularly stood out for me was the consistent mention of the feeling of “presence” when in-world and how much it enhances learning.
The other thing I’ve been thinking about is the whole idea of the lines blurring between the real and virtual worlds. But what intrigues me even more are what its going to look like as the lines start to get clear again – not because we can tell the difference between real and virtual, but because there won’t be any difference. That’s wild! In what ways will technology need to progress to get us closer to that reality? Could a trip somewhere or experience be more “real” in the virtual world than in the real world? Stay with me on this one. Could our experiences in the virtual world touch more of our senses than if we traveled there in person? Right now, I think not, but maybe, just maybe in future that might become a reality – a virtual reality.