Berlin Interview 2: Sîan Bayne

Sîan Bayne, who runs Edinburgh University's MSc in eLearning programme spoke at the final plenary session at Online Educa, where she wandered through the University's Second Life islands and spaces in a live demonstration and commented on its potential for overcoming the isolation experienced by students on distance learning programmes, providing as it does, a greater sense of 'presence' for online discussion. She did emphasise however the unheimlich nature of the SL experience: a slightly disturbing space of marionnettes, delay and the haunting background sound of the wind. I interviewed her briefly after the session.