Last week we spent three amazing days in Second Life, one of main Virtual Worlds used in Education all over the world. Denise Wood, Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Media Arts in the School of Communication, International Studies and Languages at the University of South Australia, facilitated a three-day workshop at UWC on the use of Second Life in Teaching and Research.
Virtual worlds can be used very interestingly for roleplay and simulations in Education. There are amazing historical or ecological sites, you could take your students to. Denise has also done amazing ethnographic research around how Second Life can support people who are isolated in their “First Life”, due to e.g. disabilities.
This is a short presentation I found on Slideshare on Second Life
[slideshare id=12049&doc=second-life-for-sae-3240]
And some useful links:
Alternative Viewers (faster than the Second Life viewer)
Alternative to Second Life (open sims)
Examples for education
http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Top_20_Educational_Locations_in_Second_Life
Edinburgh Second Life site: http://vue.ed.ac.uk/