This document summarizes research on how students create and observe avatars of themselves in the virtual world of Second Life. Most students chose avatars that matched their real gender and race. Some used their avatars to experiment with different physical appearances or genders. Through writing reflections on their avatar experiences, many students gained new perspectives on how they present themselves and issues of body image standards. While most obeyed social norms in avatar design, the experience did encourage some metacognition about self-image and identity.

1. The Observed Self in Action Avatars as Rhetoric: Using Autoethnographic Writing in Second Life Laura Nicosia, PhD Montclair State University, NJ http://virtualautoethnographicwriting.wikispaces.com

2. First, we should define our terms: avatar, rhetoric, autoethnography

4. Avatars may be Furries

5. Disco dancing Mayan Princes…

6. Or even cyborgs.

11. Dante’s Inferno & Naylor’s Linden Hills

12. Students write epitaphs for the graveyard in Naylor’s Mama Day .

13. Regional Women Writers House

14. They enter the learning space and orient themselves to their surroundings

15. Encounter tasks I assign and design Unlike traditional classes, the content is always available in a SL learning environment--even when you’re not.

16. Submit written tasks either inworld or via email

18. I organize all blog subscriptions with Google Reader & RSS feeds

24. View one View two Looking at myself Through my eyes

25. Excerpts from blog entries regarding the creation, alteration, projection and reception of avatars.

27. Ariel’s avatar as projected Self

29. Leslie’s avatar as the Virtual Self: “The ‘perfect’ me, or the ‘ideal’ that I can’t be for whatever reason.”

35. “ H” as a blond, Goth male.

36. Several weeks later, students were assigned to alter their avatar’s appearance Student before… And after.

42. Laura Nicosia Assistant Prof. English Director of English Education Montclair State University, NJ [email_address]

43. Appendix Slides

44. NCTE standards for Multimodal & Multiple Literacies