Physicalizing the Image, Physicalizing the Digital

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Truckenbrod
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Visual Image ◽  
Robotic Arms ◽  
3D Printers ◽  
Physical Interactions

Radically shifting personal experience of the visual image from virtual worlds like Second Life, from flat screens, cinema, and paper to physical forms, subverts the predominance of the digital realm. Living on the surface of the screen minimizes the tactility of materials and the resonance of memory and meaning embodied in objects. Digital 3D cinema, 3D television, and 3D cameras are precursors at the threshold of transforming digital into physical. The image flexes from screen to object with 3D printers and CNC machines. In the medical profession, computer 3D images from CT scans are transformed to remotely controlled, physical surgeries. Recently thinking experiments use brain activity to remotely control robotic arms. Vehicles for physicalizing the image from paper, screen, and from one’s imagination and thinking in the brain, manifest three-dimensional, palpable, sensory, tactile, objectified experiences. How will this phenomena transform modes of digital communication, physical interactions, and production on both the global and the personal scales? How will the material role of the computer prescribe new creative activities, new modes of artistic expression?

The Use of Virtual Worlds in Management Education: An Investigation of Current Practices in Second Life

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amarolinda Zanela Klein ◽  
Angilberto Freitas ◽  
Lisiane Machado ◽  
José Carlos da Silva Freitas Junior ◽  
Paulo Gaspar Graziola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Role Of Information

Frequently, research on management education does not take into account the role of Information Technology as a key resource to support teaching and learning processes. In this article, the authors explore the current applications of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) for Management education. The authors researched the educational institutions subscribed to Second Life (SL) (http://secondlife.com/), as it is one of the most popular open 3DVW available worldwide. The results reveal that only 31% of the institutions that answered the authors’ questionnaire actually use SL in Management education. Regarding the acceptance of SL in Management education, one third of the 15 institutions using it claim that it has been well received and accepted both by students and lecturers/professors. These results lead to several questions for further research and development of practices concerning the use of 3DVW for Management education.

A Second Life in Qualitative Research

2015 ◽  
pp. 1409-1433
Author(s):  
Kakali Bhattacharya
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Key Concepts

Many institutions of higher education do not have well-developed qualitative research methods programs. Consequently, the role of qualitative research is minimized, and its legitimacy questioned as the methodology of choice in dissertations, relegating qualitative research as second fiddle to quantitative research. In this chapter, the authors present how using a three-dimensional multiuser virtual/digital world called Second Life serves as a fertile and rigorous space for critically engaged ethnographic practices in an institution where resources for qualitative research are scant. Using information extracted from students' projects conducting mini-ethnographies in Second Life, their YouTube podcasts, students' reflections in learning key concepts in qualitative research without prior exposure to this methodology, the authors engage in a discussion of transformative learning experiences. Discussion of transformative learning experiences includes an intersection of critical dialogue of integration of digital technologies, virtual worlds in qualitative research, kind of learning and learners produced as a result, and reflections necessary for pedagogically aligned instructional design and delivery.

Virtual Worlds Applications for Management Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 279-299
Author(s):  
Amarolinda Zanela Klein ◽  
Angilberto Sabino de Freitas ◽  
Lisiane Machado ◽  
José Carlos da Silva Freitas Jr. ◽  
Paulo Gaspar Graziola Jr. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Role Of Information

Frequently, research on management education does not take into account the role of Information Technology as a key resource to support teaching and learning processes. In this article, we explore the current applications of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) for Management education. We researched the educational institutions subscribed to Second Life (SL) (http://secondlife.com/), as it is one of the most popular open 3DVW available worldwide. The results reveal that only 31% of the institutions that answered our questionnaire actually use SL in Management education. Regarding the acceptance of SL in Management education, one third of the 15 institutions using it claim that it has been well received and accepted both by students and lecturers/professors. These results lead to several questions for further research and development of practices concerning the use of 3DVW for Management education.

A Second Life in Qualitative Research

2014 ◽  
pp. 301-326
Author(s):  
Kakali Bhattacharya
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Digital World ◽  
Key Concepts

Many institutions of higher education do not have well-developed qualitative research methods programs. Consequently, the role of qualitative research is minimized, and its legitimacy questioned as the methodology of choice in dissertations, relegating qualitative research as second fiddle to quantitative research. In this chapter, the authors present how using a three-dimensional multiuser virtual/digital world called Second Life serves as a fertile and rigorous space for critically engaged ethnographic practices in an institution where resources for qualitative research are scant. Using information extracted from students’ projects conducting mini-ethnographies in Second Life, their YouTube podcasts, students’ reflections in learning key concepts in qualitative research without prior exposure to this methodology, the authors engage in a discussion of transformative learning experiences. Discussion of transformative learning experiences includes an intersection of critical dialogue of integration of digital technologies, virtual worlds in qualitative research, kind of learning and learners produced as a result, and reflections necessary for pedagogically aligned instructional design and delivery.

Evolution of Business in Virtual Environments

2011 ◽  
pp. 90-102
Author(s):  
Rita King
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual Work ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Early Adopters ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Virtual Business

Virtual business as defined in this chapter is any business interaction that takes place in an immersive digital space in which individuals are represented by “avatars” in three-dimensional, user-created environments. While there are hundreds of virtual worlds and hundreds of millions of people globally participating in them, this chapter focuses on Second Life®, owned by Linden Lab. At the time of this writing, eighteen million Second Life® accounts have been registered and participants have spent a billion hours in-world. US $1 billion has changed hands in Second Life® between people in more than 100 countries representing hundreds of cultures. Thousands of universities, companies, institutions and organizations have Second Life® bureaus. This chapter will examine the evolution of some of the most remarkable projects taking place within this virtual world, featuring the passion of early adopters, the role of the media, current examples of virtual work, the evolution of the virtual workforce, the shift in the role of managers toward a collaborative virtual model, the relationship between education and virtual work, and virtual goods and services.

scholarly journals Second Life as a research environment: avatar-based focus groups (AFG)

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eman Gadalla ◽  
Ibrahim Abosag ◽  
Kathy Keeling
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Purpose – This study aims to examine the nature and the potential use of avatar-based focus groups (AFGs) (i.e. focus groups conducted in three-dimensional [3D] virtual worlds [VWs]) as compared to face-to-face and online focus groups (OFGs), motivated by the ability of VWs to stimulate the realism of physical places. Over the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in using 3D VWs as a research tool. Design/methodology/approach – Using a two-phase reflective approach, data were collected first by using traditional face-to-face focus groups, followed by AFGs. In Phase 2, an online, semi-structured survey provided comparison data and experiences in AFGs, two-dimensional OFGs and traditional face-to-face focus groups. Findings – The findings identify the advantages and disadvantages of AFGs for marketing research. There is no evident difference in data quality between the results of AFGs and face-to-face focus groups. AFG compensates for some of the serious limitations associated with OFGs. Practical implications – The paper reflects on three issues, data quality, conduct of AFGs (including the moderator reflection) and participant experience, that together inform one’s understanding of the characteristics, advantages and limitations of AFG. Originality/value – This is the first paper to compare between AFGs, traditional face-to-face focus groups and OFGs. AFG holds many advantages over OFGs and even, sometimes, over face-to-face focus groups, providing a suitable environment for researchers to collect data.

Applied Areas of Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds in Learning and Teaching

2019 ◽  
pp. 172-192
Author(s):  
Reza Ghanbarzadeh ◽  
Amir Hossein Ghapanchi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Learning And Teaching

Three Dimensional Virtual Worlds (3DVW) have been substantially adopted in educational and pedagogical fields worldwide. The current study conducted a systematic literature review of the published research relevant to the application of 3DVWs in higher education. A literature search was performed in eight high-ranking databases, and following scrutiny according to inclusion criteria, 164 papers were selected for review. The systematic literature review process was summarized, reviews undertaken by the authors, and results about the applicability of 3DVWs in higher education were extracted. A wide variety of application areas for the 3DVWs in higher education were found, and were classified into five main categories. Various 3DVW platforms and virtual environments used for educational goals were also identified. The results revealed Second Life as the most popular 3DVW platform in higher education. This study also found that by using 3DVW technology a wide range of virtual environments and virtual tools have been designed and applied in teaching and learning for higher education.

In a Virtual Classroom, Who has a "Voice"? A Discourse Analysis of Student-Instructor Interactions in Two Second Life-based Courses

2010 ◽  
pp. 237-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Stoerger
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Virtual Classroom ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Student Centered Learning ◽  
Social Exchanges ◽  
Text Chat ◽  
Student Instructor

Much of the literature argues that educational initiatives that take place in three-dimensional virtual worlds such as Second Life (SL) enable students to construct their knowledge and take ownership for their learning. The notion of a more student-centered learning environment is not new; in fact, similar claims were made about text-based MUD environments and to some extent, educational chat spaces. This study is an attempt to more rigorously examine some of the claims made about the democratic nature of communication in virtual worlds such as SL and the potential for these electronic spaces beyond social exchanges. The findings support the notion that deep learning is possible in virtual worlds using synchronous text chat. However, evidence to suggest that the structure of the educational activities is student-centered is lacking. Contrary to the claims, instructional activities used in the SL courses under investigation relied heavily on a teacher-centered model.

The Current State and Future Potential of Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 2535-2543
Author(s):  
John M. Artz
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Application Technology ◽  
Current State ◽  
Future Potential

Virtual worlds, while not a new phenomenon, have come to the foreground of information technology in the past few years largely due to the growth of Second Life, a three dimensional, global virtual world that has captured the imagination of millions. This article provides some background on this virtual world phenomenon providing both a history and a classification of virtual world technology. It then focuses on Second Life discussing the application, technology, and social implications. Included in the discussion are some current initiatives such as the open source client and server projects and the implications of those initiatives. Finally, we provide some speculation on the future potential of virtual world technology as an extrapolation of the current trajectory.

Participant-Observation as a Method for Analyzing Avatar Design in User-Generated Virtual Worlds

2011 ◽  
pp. 469-481
Author(s):  
Jeremy O. Turner ◽  
Janet McCracken ◽  
Jim Bizzocchi
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Participant Observer

This chapter explores the epistemological, and ethical boundaries of the application of a participant-observer methodology for analyzing avatar design in user-generated virtual worlds. We describe why Second Life was selected as the preferred platform for studying the fundamental design properties of avatars in a situated manner. We will situate the specific case study within the broader context of ethnographic qualitative research methodologies, particularly focusing on what it means to live – and role-play - within the context that one is studying, or to facilitate prolonged engagement in order to have the research results accepted as trustworthy or credible (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). This chapter describes a case study where researchers can extract methods and techniques for studying “in-world” workshops and focus groups. Our speculations and research questions drawn from a close analysis of this case study will illuminate the possible limitations of applying similar hybrid iterations of participation-observation tactics and translations of disciplinary frameworks into the study of user-generated content for future virtual world communities. Finally, we will review the broader epistemological and ethical issues related to the role of the participant-observation researcher in the study of virtual worlds.

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