The educational functions and attributes of the virtual world -- a case of 'second life'

Wei Ting
Nanjing Xiaozhuang University
Nanjing, China

Does the virtual world have any potential for promoting educational practice? If it does, how should we understand it from an educational perspective? This paper, drawing on the example of 'second life', first describes and analyses some educational phenomena in the virtual world; and then -- from the aspects of technology implementation, content presentation and value -- it explores the educational functions and attributes of the virtual world. The arguments are illustrated through many examples and relevant data. Finally, the paper addresses possible problems and challenges when carrying out teaching practice in the virtual world, and then draws some conclusions.