Today I logged in to find the following links to YouTube videos produced by Dr.Douglas Thomas (aka Dr. Little Veko), an Associate Professor at the University of Southern California (USC). Since June 2007 the Network Culture Project has been exploring opportunities for public good in virtual worlds. When they issued a challenge to the residents of Second Life, which resulted in three finalists:
Ability Commons: Gentle Heron talks about how SL can be used to assist not only the disabled but what she calls the "not yet disabled."
Native Lands: Nani Kao talks about how Native American culture can be presented in SL and used to educate.
Texas Obesity Research Center: Serenia Felisimo talks about the international health challenge issued by her center. Researchers there have discovered that aVatars practicing healthful activities in SL can acutally have a positive effect on the real life physical body as neurons in the brain are stimulated.
Dr. Thomas also discusses the four benefits of participating in a virtual world:
1. Awareness
2. Dissemination of Information
3. Organization and Action
4. Intercultural language and exchange
To see the results, check out these YouTube videos below. Fascinating stuff!!
Network Culture Project - Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmpQ4Pfpzpo&feature=related
Network Culture Project - Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gk9MGFbBIU&feature=related
Network Culture Project - Part III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A22uIdwvT1c
