Virtual Worlds for Work

So now that we have finished this module, I shall now review about the Virtual World for collaborative use.

Through out this module we have been using second life as a way to communicate to one another. At first I have never hear of it before and I didn’t know people can communicate through virtual world like this. Before I tried out SL, people told me it just like the game “The Sims”. I never actually played that game and I know what it is about but still wasn’t sure at first how they can communicate through this way. I have played multiplayer before and I so I still know what it like to communicate through the computer.

What I think I trying to say is that I don’t really like the virtual world as a way for collaborative use. That is just my opinion, it is still great software it just that I don’t really enjoy using it. Maybe because the fact that I still not very comfortable in use SL, maybe I will start to like it if I use more but for now I will say no.

So that is just my thought on the Virtual World, however will this types of technology be one day a well known software just like the internet? For now no one will know the answer to that yet. However so far there have been over 8 million people have register for SL which means right now it is quite popular. You never know if one day that everyone will be using SL instead of the internet.

Internet wasn’t very popular back when it first introduced, it was first made during the war to communicate with your ally without letting the enemy to overhear the message. Nowadays the internet is one of the important tool in everyday life (for me anyway). The internet today has spread to all over the world for business, home, etc. It can be use for shopping, information, chatting and many more. Thinking back now I never heard of the internet until when I was in high school and that was about seven years ago. Now I have to use the internet everyone to check my e-mail or information, etc. Back then businesses don’t have their own website and now almost every business in the world has their own website, including small businesses.

Like e-mail, before it was first introduced people will send letters by post. Now almost most people will use e-mail to send messages across the world like it was sending letters.

Blackboard is a Virtual Learning Environment tool which I first used in the university. I quite like to use it, because it keeps all the notes that are in the course which you don’t need to keep the hard copy of it. It’s store a lot of the information about the course and other information, it can also be a diary. VLE are mostly used in university, however they started to introduce to secondary school for virtual learning. By the way in the past primary school don’t even have computer for student to use. I remember when I was in primary school I have never seen a computer in the classroom, but now almost all primary school have a computer room for pupil to learn to use computer. I almost heard that most primary school, each pupil will have their own laptop on their desk to use. Look at how quick technologies have increased in the past few years. That’s mean SL will still have a chance to become mainstream.

Like I said it before in my opinion I don’t really like to use SL for learning.

In the end I think that SL could someday be used across the world. There are benefits in using the virtual worlds, like you can talk to people around the world. You can meet up with friend to hang out even it they are some where far away. You can make new friend and can share thing with one and other. For businesses in they sell their product more easily if they and advert in the virtual world. People can even make money through SL by sell things to other user.

However they should also consider that all users will require to access on a computer and the internet. They will need to have a good internet connection or it can be very slow. New laws maybe introduced if one day virtual world a commonly used because there are the light of crimes and other things that is going on in the virtual world. There also a chance it may not become mainstream because some people may not like it, like myself and I also know some people doesn’t really enjoy using virtual world. Anyway use never know what will happen in the future, we just need to keep moving on.

References

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2006-09/your-second-life-ready
http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2005/07/secondlife/
http://www.teachers.tv/video/21853
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061121_727243.htm

Virtual Tourism

In second life there are many places to visit, many thing to see. All of those are created for people interest so a lot of things are not real. However some people in second life have created areas which are base on the real world environment. And those areas can be visited by second life users. And those areas are the virtual tourism which people can visit which are from the real world but seeing it in the virtual world.

For those people who wanted to go on a holiday but were unable to go because due to the lack of money or they have no time to go.

Look no further because Second Life will be able to take you there with no charges and it will only take a few minute to get to the place that you want to visit.

The advantage of the virtual tourism for users is that they can visit many different places around the world and they don’t even need to pay. However that is only the travel expenses, if you want to get something within the virtual world you will still need to pay. This is good for those people who are unable to travel due to possibly they are disable or lack of energy to go out. Maybe even have fear of travelling and could even be they have no money to go on a holiday. In this virtual world you don’t need to pay to access to different areas, you will just need to teleport there in just a few minutes. You don’t need to worry about your passport or your luggage or worrying where to stay overnight and you can go when ever you want.

Using Virtual Tourism it can also benefits the real world tourism. In that way users can visit places which are base on real world environment. And if they really liked that place then they may consider going there. In other word they may want to attract more people to visit the real areas by showing what it is like in the virtual world. It is like an advert.

The disadvantage for using virtual tourism is that it is still not real no matter how good the graphics were. Your mind may be there but your body is still where you are. If you went to a place were there is sunshine and warm, but in reality you maybe in a place were it just keep raining. You can only imagine what it would be like, but you are still no were near it. There also isn’t much to do other than looking around the area, and if there was nobody there it will get even boring. Also you can’t go into building, only some areas have building which you can go in. It is also not very good if you have a bad internet connection and it will just be slow to respond the action that you what your character to do.

These are some of the picture of the Dresden art gallery which I visited.

References

http://www.wired.com/culture/art/multimedia/2007/08/gallery_dresden

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,26058,21982063-27978,00.html

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/travelog/2007/10/second_life.html

CVE: WEEK 6

We attained class this week. This week we were given our group project assignment which were suppose to be given on week 5, however the class was cancel. Our group discussed on what topics we want to do about and that was Edinburgh Zoo. However the idea was rejected and the lecturer said that doing a Scottish wildlife would be better for this group project.

This week we had another live lecture which is about “how real are virtual world”. That was a very interesting topic because no matter how good the virtual world is, it is still not the real thing. However there are still some people who would spend so must time on a virtual world than the real world. Is it because that the real world is that bad that some people will rather choose the virtual world. I don’t think there will ever be answer and that is because in this world there are still so many strange things that are unexplainable. And that is the world we are truly living in (Not really sure what I trying to say lol).

After the lecture we went and visit other campus on SL and that campus was Heriot Watt University. We visit to see other student project which may give us idea for our project. The place was very well created and there were many things to see and to do. I don’t even know if our group can do it as good as those. Well that pretty much it, we just had fun in that place for the rest of the class.

For the weekly blog it was about Psychology and the Reality of Virtual Worlds and I really want to write about it, however I was unable to do it because I was given another task to do and that is to investigate on sculpties.

CVE: WEEK 5

The class was cancel today because the university network was down all day. We were supposed to attend class using SL at home since the network is down. However the lecturer didn’t send us the e-mail about going in SL at home earlier. He send it in the afternoon on that day and most of us have arrive in the university early because some have morning class, like myself and we can’t check our e-mail because the internet are down. Since most of us are in the university and can’t attend SL and the lecturer are not in class too, the class was cancel.

By the way it is snowing that day too!!

CVE: WEEK 4

This week class was so strange, because we have a class at home using Second Life. I have never attained a class at home before so this is quite interesting. The reason for that is our lecturer wanted to be able to chat using headphone and the university computer an unable to use the voice chat in SL and that is why we have to work at home. There is also a guest who will join us in our class, which is our lecturer friend and he teach us how to model object is SL using less primitives.

I wouldn’t say I enjoyed this class because I don’t feel comfortable in using SL for a class because you and to type message in order to chat with other. However you can still use headphone to communicate with one and other, but I still don’t like to attend class like this. You don’t know if the person can hear what you are saying or don’t know if they will be able to receive your message.

By the way I wasn’t using my headphone so I wasn’t being able to listen to what they are all saying. It was quite boring for me because they are just standing there and chatting away and me who also standing and can’t hear what they are all saying. It only when my classmate told me that they were discussing about how to create object within SL using less primitives as possible.

We were also given this tool that can let you blog within SL then you will be able to see it in Sloodledev.

CVE: WEEK 3

This week class was a bit different than previous class or any other class I had. We were having a lecture online, which is a presentation that can be view online. So if anyone that can’t make it to class then they can still attain the lecture online. That is a very useful tool for distance and overseas learners. You can also chat online during the presentation by typing it and it will appear on the screen to the right side of the screen.
I don’t really like it even thought it is a very useful tool. That is because there will be less interaction with another people and I find it difficult to communicate with other.

This week group task is to use Google word doc to list some useful information of web-based collaborative. Our team leader Callum will host the Google word doc.

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcxrxvpq_4dwqrdnf2&invite=czc3h44

SL Location visit

Our first group assignment is to have each group member to visit at least three different education sites in Second Life. Then choose one out of the site our group have visited then discuss and report on the location. Only a single submission is required.

First of all we decided that our group leader is Callum Hay. That is because he knows a lot of thing about second life and about game software stuff. That is because he is a computer game student so he must be very good and he doesn’t mind to be our group leader. I was glad that I wasn’t chosen to be a group leader, because I don’t like to be a leader. Begin a leader is too difficult for me; I just like to follow order.

We each visit an education sites and I choose to go to the Spaceport Alpha (incorporating International Spaceflight Museum and Second Life Planetarium by Chaac Amarula).
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Alpha/23/51/22/

It was a very large place and attractive. There is a lot of information about Space and they even show you what kind of equipment they use when they are on the moon. There are many rockets on display which you can actually sit on one and blast off to space!!!! That was very interesting and then you arrive in “Outer Space”. A very good site if there is anyone who wants to learn more about Space.

However we didn’t choose this one for the report. We decide to go for the one that Callum was visiting and that is the Solar Eclipse Planetarium
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Midnight%20City/94/76/27/