Sutthinan’s Blog
Just another WordPress.com weblogArchive for April, 2009
Second Life as a Learning context
I have heard about Second life several years ago; however, I have not have a chance to play with it. What I have known about Second Life before is that it is a virtual game, we have to create avatar in order to play a game. Moreover, not only big companies, such as IBM, libraries but also universities have bought the land in Second Life. There are research on Second Life related to information behavior also.
Due to the activity of this week, I do have a great chance to know more about Second Life. I spent about one hour for creating avatar and read the instruction, such as how to move, how to fly, and how to talk. I found the land of people who have similar native language, including bank, university, and tourist attraction places. However, I am very newbie, I could make 1 friend and explored several lands. I wonder why I did not meet other people on each land. I think I have to spend more time to play in Second Life.
To me, Second Life can be an effective learning context because it can improve learning and cognition because not only does it provide entertainment, but also it helps to practice several skills. For example, the learners can improve problem-solving skills and communication skills. Second Life helps to increase the students’ motivation. The tools to communication in Second Life can use as tools to communicate with classmates and instructor for online courses, resulting in a virtual classroom. Consequently, interaction, collaboration, and rapport between the instructor and students increases. Moreover, students can create mental images from the lesson. However, several things need to be considered, such as how to create effective lesson plan, how to teach the students to use Second Life, the time and budget, the ethical issues, and digital divide.
Second Life can hurt learning or cognition also. Due to the fact that Second Life can be harm for children in many ways, using Second Life as a learning context might cause the same way. Perception, identity and time in the virtual are concerns. Second Life might not help learning if the purpose of the lesson or the learners is not learning.
Decision Making and Reasoning
My first scenario happened when we had Thai nighttime party at my friend’s apartment. As we know that now in Thailand, we have political conflict, and violence in Bangkok. We, me and my friends are worried about our future of my country, but we cannot do anything. We talked about this topic. Everyone looked very upset. So, I thought if someone doing a crazy thing might help. So, I told my friend, if you love Thailand, you love our king, and you want everything better, go outside the room and yell “I love Thailand, I love my king, I love peace” 3 times. Most of my friends would like to do it, so we did it together. Surprisingly, we all felt better, we felt proud of being Thai even though it was odd to yell at nighttime, and my neighbors went outside their rooms and laughed. No one called the police 
In a second situation, I told my friend (the same group as the first situation) that if you want to get an A, you have to go shopping with me. My friend looked at my face and punched me, and said “Are you crazy”. I thought in my mind “Don’t you know I am crazy?” 
I am trying to believe too!!!!
I was sick after trying to find out what this site about.
What I know is the person who created this site is trying to argue that “Parepin” is not good for health, but he cannot do anything or solve the problem. I do not know whether what I know is correct or not.
The problem about this site is the design. It is very difficult to read the text on each page. I had to highlight with my mouse to see more clearly in order to read what he was talking about.
Also, I had to use every link to find out the information. He is trying to believe as well as I am trying to believe him. However, I have a little concern because it is related to our health, especially when I am a mom with two kids. I think this is the purpose of the site.
The ruins of Detroit
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
The Detroit pictures represent how civilized it was. If these images were the present day of Detroit, I would have gone to travel those places in the pictures.
The photographers might want to use the sad theme for those pictures. Therefore, each picture looks so sad, and lonely. If the purpose of the photos is to show how sad the photographers and Detroit people are when Detroit’s buildings, structures, or areas have decayed, their condition gradually becomes worse, they succeed their purpose because I feel very sad when I was looking at those pictures.
To me, the pictures of the ruin city convey the consequences of civilization. Something that reaches the highest point can reach the lowest point. These pictures can establish people awareness in development their societies.
“Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes, small pieces of history in suspension”
