International Society for Technology in Education Leaves SL for OpenSim

While community outrage and Linden intercession saved the International Spaceflight Museum in SL, other education-oriented efforts are not as lucky: On March 1st, The International Society for Technology in Education will close its in-world presence. At least in Second Life, that is, because the large organization is setting up a presence on the OpenSim-based Jokaydia Grid. Educator Joe Essid has a sad summary here.

Comments

[Graham Mills]

Closing their last *region* but still renting on Eduisland in SL (as Joe says). Sensible to dip virtual toes in OpenSim too imo (ymmv).

[Ignatius Onomatopoeia]

Many of us will keep a toehold in SL until the bitter end, at least the bitter end for education. There's still great content and service from Virtual Ability Island, Eduisland, Virtual Harlem, and many more.

Given the tier in SL and a culture of technologists who have moved to lower-hanging fruit such the iOS devices that our students already have, it is only a matter of time for many of the remaining edu outposts in SL.

[Ezra]

It worries me more and more that Linden Lab seems to have no plan, at least public, to stop this bleed of sims.

[Pussycat Catnap]

As hostile as M Linden was to 'existing customers of SL' - the social and entertainment types...
- Rod's tenure is shaping up to have matched hostility to non-profits and education, with seemingly no attention at all paid to the 'business' types M. failed to lure in (honestly not a major loss to now ignore the enterprise-business-types - they were bad for the platform anyway).

That said... Rod's approach is not as bad for SL overall - just for an historically notable segment. He at least is trying to bring in a group that has a shot of being attracted in: gamers.

But that too can go horridly wrong. SL straggles a middle ground between the 'light engagement' games seen on Facespam and the 'heavy engagement' games seen in MMOs.
- Its really the only solution for the middle ground, but it will fail at an attempt to push to either end.

It still remains to be seen whether or not it is profoundly unwise to neglect the educationals and non-profits in favor of the gamers... I'm not sure why it is so hard to cater to both...

- But SL, a platform ideal for embracing many different types of customers, historically seems to always have management only able of seeing one shiny at a time.