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ERIC Number: EJ798991
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Feb
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-127X
EISSN: N/A
Second Life, Revisited
Bugeja, Michael J.
Education Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, v73 n6 p23-27 Feb 2008
An article this author wrote about avatar harassment and assault in Second Life (SL) inspired a considerable response after it was published. Perhaps the most notable reply was from Linden Lab, the company that created the virtual-reality world. In his initial essay ("The Chronicle of Higher Education," September 14, 2007; "The Education Digest," January 2008), the author noted that dozens of colleges worldwide have a presence in Second Life. He argued that higher education has enough trouble dealing with code violations in the real world without complicating due process with corporate-service terms that bestow anonymity and disavow liability. He recommended legal, ethical, and pedagogical analyses of potential conflicts arising in Second Life, especially when they involve online harassment and assault, known as "griefing." He also noted that Linden Lab had failed to respond to nine questions he had e-mailed, faxed, and sent to the company via certified mail in July. In this follow-up, the author presents comments from SL representatives and a teacher who uses SL in his classes. At the core of the author's concern is a culture clash that may erode due process and disclosure in academe--values upon which the most ardent Second Life advocates would have to rely, should they become embroiled in controversy on a virtual campus.
Prakken Publications. 832 Phoenix Drive, P.O. Box 8623, Ann Arbor, MI 48108. Tel: 734-975-2800; Fax: 734-975-2787; Web site: http://www.eddigest.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A