Virtual worlds are not dead; they’re waiting — from vator.tv/news
Top researcher says tipping point for 3D immersive environments is just around the corner.

Remember SecondLife? Last we heard it had turned into a virtual wasteland, the sound of flies buzzing about empty Coca-Cola amphitheatres and abandoned Hummer showrooms, moss growing on the wings of the flying cars.  But virtual worlds may be in a quiet incubation period, readying a fierce comeback. At the Virtual Edge Summit Monday, Eilif Trondsen, the Research & Program Director at Strategic Business Insights and a director at SRI for 28 years, said that 3-dimensional immersive environments could hit a tipping point in a few years, once a handful of key technologies fall into place.

From DSC:
I believe this is probably right on the mark…3D immersive environment have the potential to be very powerful, engaging mechanisms through which learning could flow. Second Life and most folks (including myself) never quite saw eye-to-eye; as it was too complex and it required too high of a learning curve. The solution(s) here need to be — as always — extremely easy-to-setup-and-use.

After Frustrations in Second Life, Colleges Look to New Virtual Worlds — from The Chronicle by Jeffrey Young

The hype is gone, but not the interest, and professors think some emerging projects may have instructional staying power

The World Is Open – Now, WE ALL LEARN with Web Technology — from ELI

In this session, Curtis J. Bonk, Professor for Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University System, offers an intriguing look at 10 technology trends that he calls educational openers. When combined, the first letter of each opener spells the acronym WE ALL LEARN. This model helps make sense of the role of various technologies in open education and participatory environments, including e-books, podcasts, streamed videos, open courseware, online learning portals, social networking tools like Facebook and Ning, YouTube videos, wikis, and virtual worlds (emphasis DSC). Clearly, technology-based learning continues to open new learning pathways for all the connected learners of this planet. At the same time, thousands of organizations and individuals are sharing their course materials, expertise, and instructional ideas globally, thereby expanding learning opportunities and resources even further. As this occurs, members of the media, politicians, educators, students, parents, and others are asking important questions about the quality of such contents.

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