[Linden Lab's New CEO]

Thank you!

[Linden Lab's New CEO]

SL is the only virtual world I've used for teaching, but like you, Esparanza, I consider it a powerful tool for that purpose.

Exploring the SL world map makes it clear that SL is many things to many people. Though educators and their institutions are the minority in this world as in RL, I hope that whatever Rod shapes SL into, it won't be something that reinforces in students' minds the idea of its being a game. Sure, students (and their teachers as well) can and do play games in SL, and I myself have endorsed my student estate mananger's inclusion of amusements on our island. After all, why shouldn't learning be fun? But that's not education's primary reason for being inworld. It's the way it can transform teaching that keeps us here.

[Linden Lab's New CEO]

I don't know how sustainable higher education is as an asset to Second Life in particular, but there's no arguing the fact that higher education and online ventures are joined at the hip. The question of how valuable an asset higher education is to SL would make an interesting master's thesis, or at least a long scholarly paper, would it not?

I can say that colleagues who have succesfully integrated SL into the curriculum have seen student engagement in and out of the classroom skyrocket as a result. For this and other reasons, I second your sentiment, Mark, and urge Mr. Humble's early attention to and continuing engagement with our institutions.

Sandra Flowers

[Linden Lab's New CEO]

My thoughts exactly, Holocluck! I myself am not a gamer and did not enroll my company in Second Life for the purpose of gaming.