Techlearning blog

"I am so busy doing nothing that the idea of doing anything -- which as you know always leads to something -- cuts into the nothing and then forces me to have to drop everything." George Costanza

I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to Seinfeld. I own all the DVDs, watch the reruns, and even own the Seinfeld and Philosophy book. What is it that draws me into and excites me about a show commonly referred to as a "show about nothing". Quite simply, it is life in its most mundane of moments to life in its most engaging of moments. Seinfeld is life and that is why I sat there late Wed evening in Atlanta watching a rerun of Seinfeld when it hit me: Second Life is Seinfeld.

Think about it! Pick any moment you've had in SL and I'm willing to bet it could have been a Seinfeld episode. In fact, I bet you could even pinpoint avatars you know and tie them into a Seinfeld characters or at least where they would fit into the grand scheme of the show as a new character. Why?

Well, SL is life in much the same way Seinfeld is life: no linear pattern, sometimes boring, sometimes stimulating, but always moving forward. This complexity leaves many of us pondering why we are drawn to it, excited by it, and confused by it – in other words, what is the point?

The Draw
Seinfeld grew because of the buzz surrounding it. The more people became hooked and found themselves glued to the television, the more the word spread about this great sitcom. This is exactly what is happening with Second Life.

There is a buzz surrounding SL right now: blogosphere, media, and professional conferences. At NECC 2007, almost every session on Web 2.0 had a component addressing SL. In fact, David Warlick’s session on Contemporary Literacy in the New Information Landscape started with a number of slides SL leading to a group of what seemed like 20 people around me saying, “we have to get on Second Life”. The buzz grew stronger from just the mere mention of it by a leader in the field.

Beyond the presentations, there were playground areas for SL, informal learning moments, a Birds of a Feather session, and even an area dedicated to SL at the Aquarium with current SL members helping people setup their avatars. While early adapters were drawn to SL for other reasons, the current the draw is the buzz or hype about it right now, which is the evolutionary pattern of most “new” things.

All of these things have created this almost impossible expectations for Second Life leading to one of two things usually happening for new educators shortly after entering SL: confusion and excitement.

The Excitement
My first episode of Seinfeld had me hooked: The Stall. I couldn’t stop laughing and everything people told me about Seinfeld came to fruition the first time I watched. It is the “a ha” moments that build the excitement and confirms the hype. If you are lucky, it comes right away before the confusion hits and you question what is the point.

What are those “a ha” moments in Second Life? For many, it is the professional networking and connecting: that first time you find yourself surrounded by a group of educators from around the world engaged in mind-blowing discussions. Look at this way. If you had a chance to be at the Bloggers’ Café during NECC 2007, you know exactly the types of conversations I’m referring to and SL offers those at any given moment.

For others, it is the direct tie-in to instruction that represents that “a ha” moment: seeing a class taught in SL, being a part of a simulation that has distinct possibilities for class, or participating in a class on building or instructional practices in a virtual environment (be sure to check out SLoodle).

Sadly, there are those that don't have that "a ha" moment soon enough leaving them confused by the buzz.

The Confusion
Seinfeld is so pointless, a common statement heard even today when someone hears me make a reference to it. This is also what many people state shortly after entering SL. In fact, a common conversation at NECC between those catching the buzz and those that were already drawn in by the buzz but now confused went something like this:

The Buzz/Draw: “I’m so excited. I just created my avatar”
The Confused: “Really? Why? I did that a month ago and I just don’t see the point.”

This is understandable. The confused were drawn to Second Life because of the buzz. They expected to enter and be immersed into this world that would just be so easy to identify as a great tool for education and professional development.

Their expectations were built to an immense level by blogs, wikis, national speakers, and the media only to walk into something that isn’t a tool like web 2.0. They walked into something where the answer wasn’t staring them right in the face. They walked into a world where you could be bored as much as you are stimulated, alone as much as you are networked. In other words, they walked into an extension of real life and this took them by surprise as they expected it to be so clear given all the buzz.

A MUVE about Everything and Nothing
Between the buzz and the hype lies the truth. Second Life is a rich environment that offers a lot for education: networking, professional development, instruction for 21st Century skills, and more. The key is going in with the expectations toned down a bit and an understanding of exactly what it is you are about to embark upon when entering SL. It is a virtual world with everything that comes in real life without some of the limitations.

You can be bored, excited, happy, sad, and frustrated. You can find stimulating moments and moments you'd rather forget. You can spend hours wondering "what did I accomplish" and minutes wondering "why can't it always be this good". Once you get passed all the buzz, all the hype, you'll realize the most important thing about SL: it is what you make it to be. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Such is life...