Gerry Santoro may be an assistant professor of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) in this life, but in the virtual world of Second Life he is a white wolf walking on all fours and sporting a Harley-Davidson T-shirt.
Second Life is a virtual world--similar to that of The Sims--in which virtual characters, known as avatars, are able to do anything that their imagination desires.
"This is very much like a video game in that you play a character, but the difference with this one is that the intent is a lot more open-ended," Santoro said of Second Life.
"This is a new paradigm for the Web where people can become completely immersed into this world."
Santoro added that many companies are beginning to establish a presence in this virtual world to sell virtual products and to advertise.
"A number of businesses have established buildings in this world," Santoro said.
"An e-commerce portal in this world is being established by companies."
Educators are also becoming fascinated with the possibilities for this new virtual world in which the only limit seems to be the individual's imagination.
Santoro and Lynette Kvasny, assistant professor of Information, Sciences and Technology, have plans to convene their IST 402 (Popular Culture and Technology) class in the virtual world to give the students a demonstration of this new form of culture.
"After this class demonstration, we are hoping to be able to engage a number of students in this world next semester and being able to establish an IST virtual campus in this Second Life world," Santoro said.
Kvasny said she believes it has a lot of potential because it simulates all real world possibilities and more.
"This virtual world takes anything you can do in real life to a higher level and really tests if it is possible to establish an identity online," Kvasny said. "It is a very interesting supplement to teaching in the classroom."
Santoro said it is difficult to predict if Second Life will be a success or failure in the academic world.
"The thing is, with any emerging technology, it is really difficult to pick which are the secure successes and which are not, but I do see a lot of promise," Santoro said.
Santoro added that this virtual world could expand an individual's creativity.
"You can do things in this virtual world that you can not do in the real world, such as flying," Santoro said. "It is called Second Life because it gives you a way to escape from your real life."
Santoro also warned of the possibility of addiction to Second Life.
"Just like any other video game, you need to be prepared for any bad effects so that you can prepare yourself against them," Santoro said.
"If you are not aware of this, you can get sucked into the game, and you may begin to ignore other responsibilities."
Ben Hammel, president of Computer Network Club, also believes that Second Life has a lot of academic potential and believes many students will begin to see it popping up all over campus in the future.
"This virtual world can work as another avenue to present things to people in other parts of the world," Hammel said.
Santoro said millions of people are already registered in the virtual world.
Santero also added that it is free to go online and explore, but anyone who is interested in building within the virtual world does have to pay.
Santoro added that many are looking into ways to use computer games that would serve as an educational purpose rather than just a tool to pass the time.
"While I believe Second Life has a lot of potential, I also believe that it is only a matter of time before the bad parts of the real world sneak in too," Santoro added.
