Renaissance Island is a popular gathering place for those interested in the Renaissance Period of history. I’m not much of a history buff, but I did enjoy walking around the island and ducking into all of the authentic looking buildings. There are shops that sell appropriate clothing and other items from that time period, taverns, homes for rent…. you name it.

Once again, I can see a genuine educational benefit for simulations such as this. If I had been exposed to virtual worlds in high school and could have actually “lived” in whatever setting we were studying, maybe I would have a greater appreciation for history than I have now.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a wonderful place in Second Life. I rode a weather balloon, flew into the eye of a hurricane, walked around on a glacier that was melting, and rode in a submarine under the sea. There were notecards available throughout the site explaining each of the features and providing links to the NOAA website.

This would be a fantastic voyage for anyone interested in studying more about weather. I just keep thinking about how third and fourth graders would love to experience this in a virtual world!

ISTE, or the International Society for Technology in Education, has a large presence in Second Life. Last night I attended a show and tell meeting sponsored by ISTE. This was my first official meeting in this new world, and I was intrigued by it all. There was a large number of avatars present, so many in fact that the sim filled up at one point. We were introduced to some cool gadgets that make living in this virtual world a bit easier, such as the MystiTool HUD from Mystical Cookie Designs. Then Kathy Dryburgh spoke about a database she is creating using the ways educators are using emerging technologies in their profession.

ISTE has a host of volunteers who stay at the desk of the ISTE building to answer questions and give tours during busy hours. They are also building a new island adjacent to Eduisland. Many prominent technology educators are involved with both ISTE and Second Life, and I believe that we are just beginning to scrape the surface of the potential of using virtual worlds in education.