EDUC 8848: Emerging and Future Technology

    
Disruptive Power of Second Life

Second Life can be considered a disruptive technology as it has and will continue to change how people interact with one another. Just like any technology, some people will be greatly affected, some tertiarily affected, and some not affected at all. It is a technology that is here, is being utilized by many, and cannot be removed from human experience. It may change and develop as time goes on but the notion or idea of people living and working a virtual world is here to stay.

Thornburg (2009) stated that a disruptive technology is a technology that seems to come from out of nowhere. It can do something better or faster than the technology that it is replacing. It can be a complete accident or happenstance. Rosedale (2008) on Second Life, sees it as a disruptive technology in the way that it has changed how humans, social creatures at heart, interact with one another on a different level. Second Life has displaced chat rooms. Although chat rooms still exist, Second Life has added a dimension to chatting with others online that is appealing to many people. People get to represent themselves in whatever manner they wish. This “choice” is very powerful. It allows the shy to be bold; the common person to be a superhero; the chance to be anything or anyone a person wants to be.

That said, Essid (2011) who did his “PhD work was in the history of technological systems and public enthusiasm for them”, suggests that Second Life has not lived up to its hype as a disruptive technology. He claims Second Life had a good run but failed on interoperability and commerce. Essid stated that Second Life limited itself and therefore is not a sustaining disruptive technology. He postulates that ideas such as 3-D web and OpenSims are more likely to be disruptive technologies, claiming that these innovations will change how real interactions occur.

There are social benefits to Second Life being utilized in the classroom. I see Second Life as on method for teaching elementary students about manners, interacting with one another, bullying, etc. It could be used to illustrate in a demonstrable method ethical, moral, civil, and polite ways to interact with the peers, families, and adults in a non-threatening arena. I can see this as a wonderful way to reinforce our school’s mantra, “Be safe, Be polite, Be kind”. I think it has great potential despite some of its disadvantages.

References

Essid, J. (2011). Failure to disrupt: Why Second Life failed. Hypergrid Business. Retrieved January 26, 2012, from http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2011/02/failure-to-disrupt-why-second-life-failed/

Gollub, R. (n.d.). Second Life and education. Crossroads: The ACM Student Magazine. Retrieved January 26, 2012, from http://paws.wcu.edu/jlebaron/LMSTF/Gollub-2nd.Life.pdf

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Disruptive technologies featuring Dr. David Thornburg. United States: Walden University. Podcasts retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6200933&Survey=1&47=4862829&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Rosedale, P. (2008). Philip Rosedale on Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html