Friday, November 23, 2012

Module 4 Posts - The Disruptive Power of Second Life




The Disruptive Power of Second Life

 

According to Dr. Thornburg, disruptive technologies are new technologies with the same functionality of an existing technology but it functions more efficiently, and then obsoletes the technology (Thornburg, 2008). The technologies suddenly appear and create a brand new way of thinking about technology (Thornburg, 2008).

The second life website states, second Life is a 3D world where everyone you see is a real person and every place you visit is built by people just like you (Linden Research, Inc., 2012)

Second Life may be considered a disruptive technology because it may replace one dimensional video games.  Name video games such as “The Call of Duty” use 3D virtual worlds to make the users feel like they are participating in a real event. 3D worlds are also becoming more popular in movies.

Each year and sometimes sooner new technologies are created. It is hard to say when the next technology will be developed that will replace Second Life.

I think the benefit of Second Life is it can be use as a presentation tool for students that are uncomfortable with speaking in front of the class. The downside is students may become more anti-social and lose the necessary skills it takes to obtain a job or survive in a career. No matter how much we use technology, we still need to know who to communicate face-to-face.

 

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Disruptive Technologies. Baltimore, MD: Author.



 

 

 

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