Meeting

The team clearly and accurately describes its experiences while interacting in Second Life.  Team members provide their perceptions of Second Life as an instructional platform and discuss future potential uses for Second Life in education and training situations.

Lynda - 1/23/10 My first experience in Second Life after procuring the name LCannedyLive Seda was to go to the Learning Island for newcomers. I practiced walking around, I entered a house and played some music, I sat down on different things, I flew around and over the island, and I chatted a little.  I spent quite a bit of time on my outfit.  It wasn't exactly what I wanted but I ended up with a brown leather pantsuit and a zebra stripe shirt and belt.  I went to some type of board and zapped some resources but I don't know what they are for.  I noticed a lot of other newcomers around.  Most of them were standing stiff with their arms out so I knew they were working on their appearance.  One naked guy ran by me and then he started chatting with another naked guy.  He said he had spent 15 minutes on his outfit and then hit a button and it all disappeared and he didn't know how to get his clothes back.  The other one said he hoped his professor didn't see him like that.

I realized quickly that this could bring up a whole new set of ethics and morals.  I probably wouldn't wear a sleazy outfit or run around naked in public in real life but would I do this in Second Life?  And how about immoral fantasies?  I can imagine a lot of affairs go on in Second Life but are they really affairs if they are fantasy affairs?  Whatever conclusion you draw about that, I decided I will still be drawing the line on certain things.  I think my conscience will still rule even in a fantasy world. I can tell we are going to have a good time with this project.  I am looking forward to getting the team together.

John Cecil - I created the avatar Cecil Millar and flew around a bit.  I tried searching for various communities, and ended up at a nightclub that claimed to be "exactly like the real" one.  I think I had been there, but couldn't really tell.  There seems to be a lot of commercial advertising; I'm hoping for geographic re-creations of places I've been before, like Manhattan, or Austin, or wherever.  That would be fun...    I plan to change my avatar's appearance - I started out African-American (I'm not), sort of a "Black Like Me" experiment ---  Otherwise, the movement is like FPS games I've played (first person shooters).  I guess this is Duke Nukem without monsters and guns.

Rogelio Campa - 2/22/2010 I had heard of second life but really never got around to using it.  I was not sure of what to expect.  The first time I used it I was fasinated and overwhelmed at the same time.   I received a basic avatar and realized that I could change the apprearance.  I did not do a very good job at it, but then later after teleporting around I met a women named Penolope who was very helpful.  She gave me a change of clothes and I began my transformation.  I realized that it cost money to do certian things on SL.  I also saw things that were unsuitable for minors.  I realized why there were so many pictures (porno), art as they say on there.  I could not help to think this is not good for the students (minors).  I did many things such as walk and then the cool part, flying.  That I liked, I noticed other people flying around the area, so after looking at controls.  I figured out how to do it.  Overall it was a good experience but it seems that I am having trouble trying to get around in SL I think it has to do with my internet connection speed. 

Lynda -3/1/10  After completing the assigned geometric tutorial, I realize Second Life does have some potential for education and training situations.  I enjoyed going on the scavenger hunt and looking around for the shapes but there is a learning curve involved in Second Life that you must go through before you are able to do anything educational.  You have to learn to walk, move, fly, or teleport around and you really need to be able to understand the maps in Second Life.  You have to know how to take and save a picture.  There are also "unwritten rules" in Second Life you need to be aware of.  These include respecting the property rights of others, getting permission to build things, and having appropriate interactions with others.  Appearances seem to be very important in Second Life.  You really stand out if you haven't changed your basic avatar to something different.  Second Life also seems to have its own "language" and you need to know what terms like "rez" and "AO" are. I have been in SL several times now and I still don't feel really comfortable there or like I know very much.  If I stay in it more than an hour I get a headache. There is too much to think about at once. The UTB island feels like a safe, somewhat protected place but I have yet to see more than a few other avatars there.  I really don't see any point in meeting there for class just to watch a presentation since we could do that in Wimba. I suppose we are just trying to learn the technology.  If you are going to use SL for educational purposes, I think you should do something that includes discovery or communication--not presentations and lectures.

Fabian 3/4/10 My first thoughts of Second Life were that it was a place where one needed to know where one was headed.  I felt that I was in a forest without any type of directions and wished there was a way for me to get a GPS and find the specific locations.  After playing with it for a few minutes found interesting settings but since I could not enter all of them it started to becoming kind of boring.  I was happy to find my classmates and chat with them.  I just wished there was a way for the chartoon like character I created to move silimar to my Play Station 3 games.  I also wanted to inform all who read this that I found several articles in which it talked about certain locations but even though I did the search they did not appear.  This tells me either they have been removed from Second Life or I just simply could not get to them.  Overall there is a high potential only if we can have safe locations for us to meet and our students.  I like the idea of my students seeing specific locations but would like to fee safe when doing this.