The abstract of her paper:
Second Life is a unique medium for education in that it combines interactive visual and some audio with written interactive dialogue. As such, it has the power to engage people emotionally as well as intellectually. This combination makes learning both more enjoyable and more long-lasting. The Center for Water Studies on Second Life's Better World Island is an ongoing experiment in promoting environmental awareness and responsibility, as well as encouraging innovation in the management of precious real life water resources. It is also an example of what can be done with minimal resources to provide rich, multi-media educational experiences. To that end, the Center contains simulations of six different real life water habitats: a Mangrove Swamp, a Pacific Northwest Rainforest, Pondlife, a Waterfall with stream, a Coral Barrier Reef, and an Ocean beach with Undersea Marine life, all of which are stressed by human activities in real life. Each setting provides both visually attractive places to explore and meet with others, and notecards with information about the real life counterpart habitat. The Center also hosts educational presentations and discussions by environmental groups who are working in Second Life. In that way, the Center is a catalyst for community-building that has reached individuals in many different real life countries.
interactive map of where i posted from
[update: Soso Gao's blog - BAOBAB: Maison de l'Environnement - is here :-) ]
Technorati Tags: education, geography, place, Second Life, SLBPE2007