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Interview
Creating Life-Size Molecules in Second Life
A Conversation with Drexel University's Jean-Claude Bradley
1/9/2008
CT: Conversely, what are some things that work really well in Second Life?
JCB: One thing new that I've done this term is have students do a project in Second Life.
CT: Yes, you recently wrote in your blog that one of your students created a life-size model of a molecule as part of that. That sounded really cool.
JCB: Right. To be able to stand next to a molecule that is as tall as you are, and to have your teacher be able to walk around it with you and comment,... that's pretty useful.
CT: How familiar are students with the technology?
JCB: Most students have never been on. You have to install software; it's not very difficult, but if you're not motivated, there's going to be a lot of handholding. I don't mind doing it for a few students, but I can't do it for 175.
There's a misconception out there that students are very tech-savvy and following all these blogs and wikis and Second Life. That's not true. The vast majority have never been [to Second Life].
CT: That's an interesting comment about not assuming that students have used these technologies. One of the criticisms of Second Life is that there's a lot of flash around it, but there aren't that many people really using it.
JCB: It's not really a common experience right now for students. That doesn't mean you can't teach them, but certainly, you cannot assume that they can just do these things without guidance. That's why I have workshops, and during them, I can ... have students bring in a computer and just work with them for a couple minutes [if needed].
CT: Do you have advice for instructors who want to integrate Second Life into their course?
JCB: You should have a really good reason to do it. The best advice is to find another teacher who is actually using it, and try to experience what the student is experiencing. You'll get some ideas and advice from that. I was just talking to another teacher an hour ago who might be doing some things in Second Life. She's also an organic chemistry teacher. I told her, just send your students to Drexel Island; have them interact with my students, click around on the quizzes, and if you think it might make sense, you can spawn off from that.
A lot of people have bad experiences in Second Life because they don't have a good reason for going there. It's like having people go to the Internet without a Web address. You want to be guided. That's the best possible scenario.
It's just another tool. I wouldn't teach exclusively on Second Life. We have WebCT Blackboard; I have my wiki; I have my blogs; and those things all have their strengths. You've got to leverage them all.
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Linda L. Briggs is a freelance writer based in San Diego, Calif.
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