I sometimes hear from educators and parents who argue that technology is little more than a distraction and that the cyber world is simply not “real”. Well, another nail in the coffin of their arguments as Sweden announced this week that they are opening a virtual embassy in Second Life.

Many commercial entities, including car companies, lawyers and various other professionals and other enterprises have set up operations in the virtual world run by Linden Labs out of San Francisco, which now counts almost 7 million residents – each represented by a virtual entity called an avitar. For a basic introduction to Second Life see here.

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Sweden’s announcement brings yet another level of legitimacy to the worlds of cyberspace. While the Second House of Sweden will not initially issue passports or other documentation, can those services be far behind?

Now that both the private and public sectors have bought in to the shift, how long can education hold out? What could virtual spaces offer to our schools? Virtual, collaborative workspaces? How might these tools further the development of distance education? The possibilities are almost unimaginable.

With the virtual delivery in Second Life of a section of a law course at Harvard University already completed, what might be next? Are we ready and open to the possibilities to “soften” the walls of our classrooms?

Bring it on!

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