Virtual Nittany Lion
March 19, 2009 at 11:09 am Lori Shontz 2 comments
Enough Penn Staters apparently hang out at Second Life that Penn State commissioned an on-line sculptor to design this virtual Nittany Lion Shrine. Looks to me that it’s a little more buffed than its physical on-campus counterpart.
Lori Shontz, senior editor
Entry filed under: University Park campus. Tags: Nittany Lion Shrine, Second Life.
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1. Tina Hay | March 19, 2009 at 11:50 am
Also, I wonder what’s that massive body of water just beyond the shrine? Colyer Lake, probably … or maybe the pond at the Tofrees golf course.
2. Shannon Ritter | March 19, 2009 at 2:27 pm
I’m actually the person responsible for adding that Nittany Lion shrine to the Penn State area in Second Life. I work as the social networks adviser for Penn State World Campus and we’re using Second Life to provide all of our online and distance education students with their own ‘campus experience’. As most of you know, Penn Staters are incredibly passionate people and they have a strong attachment to the university and I think a large part of that is due to the experiences they have at Penn State. I’m a 1990 Penn State grad and when I think of my experiences at Penn State, I never think about the classroom or courses, but always about hanging out in the HUB, or grabbing ice cream at the Creamery. We’re hoping to give our students those same sorts of experiences and provide them with the opportunity to meet other students that live all over the world to connect them with each other and with Penn State.
Penn State has a large area in Second Life and this is divided up between campuses, academic colleges and departments. There are some professors doing really interesting amazing things in Second Life with their students and it’s a way to allow students to experience their learning and connect with other students from other Penn State campuses to help build community university-wide.
Not everything built in Second Life is completely realistic or an exact replica of anything, but I think some things are similar enough to give them a connection to the university. At World Campus we have graduation receptions for all of our graduates and Second Life gives us the ability to have a reception there as well and allows us to include ALL of our students and not just those students that are able to travel to campus for graduation weekend.
Please feel free to explore all of Penn State’s spaces in Second Life – I think you’ll be amazed at the wonderful things going on there and I’d be more than happy to talk more about what World Campus is doing there as well! :)