The Virtual Worlds Handbook: How to Use Second Life and Other 3D Virtual Environments

Description

Step into the world of virtual reality with your newly created avatar and begin to experience the tools that make this world interactive! During their infancy stage, virtual environments were largely based upon the gaming community and over time have been adapted to meet the growing number of users and educators. The Virtual Worlds Handbook, with CD-ROM, provides a user-friendly approach that will help trainers and educators create an effective and interactive environment within the Second Life virtual world. This book was written to help the novice user tackle the natural learning curve while providing the experienced user with tips, tools, and tricks to help any educator or trainer meet their professional goals faster. The opportunities using virtual reality are limitless and provide online students with a unique opportunity to connect both physically and educationally to one another, to faculty, to university, and to a worldwide market.

CONTENTS:

Part 1 Second Life Fundamentals

    Chapter 1 Exploration of Various Virtual Environments

    Chapter 2 Creating Your Account and Beginning Your Journey

    Chapter 3 Customizing the New You and Your First Virtual Space

    Chapter 4 Let's Go Virtual!

    Chapter 5 Inventory Overload

    Chapter 6 Basic Building Skills

    Chapter 7 Intermediate Building Skills

    Chapter 8 Advanced Building Skills and Interactive Scripting

    Chapter 9 Designing the Land

Part 2 Education & Second Life

    Chapter 10 University and Program Assessment

    Chapter 11 Teaching Methods for In-World Engagement

    Chapter 12 Teaching Tools

    Chapter 13 Your Moodle and Sloodle Connection

    Chapter 14 Other Uses for Second Life

    Chapter 15 In-World Educational Spaces and Virtual Hot Spots

    Chapter 16 Web Resources

    Chapter 17 Tying It All Together

  Appendix A Shortcut Keys

  Appendix B Glossary

  Appendix C Automatic Script Viewer Explanation