Disruptive technology is defined as something that changes the way society does things. The virtual world of Second life is thought to be the future of social, educational and corporate interactions. Second life was touted by some to be the latest in disruptive technology. Second life does not appear to be inherently disruptive technology. The internet and its ability to allow socialization appears to be the actual disruptive technology. Second Life seems more like another example of socialization software. I actually investigated using second life as a teaching tool about 5 years ago but it did not benefit the students as it is. It was fun for a day or so but to actually replace educational methods permanently or true socialization in our society I do not think it will be that disruptive. I can see why many think it could be disruptive overall but it seems to be more about how the internet has been disruptive than Second Life itself.
Second life could possibly enhance classroom instruction or corporate business but so far it has not changed these things drastically. I spoke to some Clemson University students recently and asked them their opinion about Second Life in the classroom. They mentioned a few professors that have used it but they all avoided those classes if at all possible. They felt it was a waste of their time and did not benefit them enough to go to the trouble of using it. One student felt it might be beneficial to use it to demonstrate things a professor or teacher is discussing. For instance, create a medieval world that each student must have an avatar that meets the expectations of the time period and completes tasks developed by the professor. They did not feel it would be useful long term but as an enhancement to regular classwork. The fact that these students did not like Second Life could mean the professors were not using the technology effectively but once again I see it more as an enhancement.
Kitely and Open Sim are good replacements for Second Life as they allow for cloud structure and information backup. Will these types of virtual environments become the norm in our society? It is hard to say but Business Weekly feels that virtual environments will never replace the effectiveness of face to face meetings. I feel the same way about the educational setting. I think it will be an important tool in the educational process but I do not think it will ever replace face to face interaction.
http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2009/01/virtual_meetings_will_erase_face_to_face.html
If the technology is not used effectively there is no benefit to learners. I'm going to try out Second Life for myself whenever I have the time.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I will do some research on both Kitely and Open Sim. Advancements in the artificial intelligence needed to smooth the transition from face to face interaction can be viewed as setbacks to this disruptive technology. Do you believe that tools such as Second life, Kitely and Open Sim will will become more popular as institutions move toward distance education?
ReplyDeleteI like the comments that you provided about the Clemson students who avoided the professors who used Second Life. I have seen how ISTE used Second Life at a conference. Still if I were to use Second Life in my classroom it would require additional time to set up and then physically be there to conduct live sessions. For me, I would rather conduct Skype conference sessions so that I could actually see the participants.
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