Thing #10

Well,
I decided to finish what I started and do all the 11.5 things. I had previously gotten stuck on thing #10, Second Life. I am going to say right here that though I like using computers, I have never really enjoyed video games. That is probably why I had a difficult time with this one. Anyway, I tried to download Second Life and signed up for an account, but since I am using Linux, it didn't work so well. If I wanted to spend a lot of time on it, I might be able to fix it, but I really don't care to. I read several of the recommended blog posts about using second life in education and I have read before about virtual conferences, etc. I can see where some people might really get into these types of events, but I just don't. I want to really be there, or if not, I would rather watch a webcast or a video than a bunch of cartoon avatars. It just seems silly to me, and playing around with it and reading about it didn't really change this impression. Not every online tool works for every person, and I guess this one just really does nothing for me. I think the impersonal/anonymous nature of it seems too disconnected to me. I know people claim that it isn't, but I cannot get over the feeling that it contributes to the disassociation of people from each other, and the deterioration of manners, courtesy, and interpersonal relations. Call me an old toot, but that is what I think. I think people should spend less time pretending and spend more time actually doing something. A virtual tour of the Louvre is pretty cool, but it will never be the same as actually going there.
So sue me.