Class Presentation, 2008

4. Theme 1- Getting Acquainted
with the technology
Theme 2- Interactions
Theme 3- Class connections
Theme 4- Identity of Avatar
Theme 5- Second Life Vs….
RL and other Technologies

5. “I wasn't sure if we should strike up a conversation because a
chat box kept popping up. I hope I wasn't being rude. I am not
exactly sure of the rights and wrongs yet…”
“I fell a few times and had to get right back up. I spent most of my
time trying to get out of the "coffee cup".”
So what fears should I have? And are they justified? Couldn’t I
just create a new “me” whenever I get into trouble?
When I walk on SL, sometimes I think that I act "drunk" because I
cannot walk straight and either overshoot or undershoot my
direction.
“you know you can just stand on stuff and press teleport from
way far away and just jump from spot to spot. had no idea. i
even flew. i am gettting better at flying.”

6. “…for the first time today, I hear the chimes and I feel relaxed. So
relaxed.....I'm relaxing on the beach - just for a few minutes.
Maybe I don't have to buy my own beach house right away after
all....”
“…while in SL talking to my group mates, I really felt like I was
visiting with my peers - almost face to face…”
“Someone put a go kart in my inventory and I rode it into the
ocean and turned it upside down and it was very difficult to get out
of the bottom, I tried to slow down but it just kept going faster and
faster, so for fun I sent one to Seven Berkmans because I wanted
her to ride it and see what she thought! hee hee.”
I know when experienced Second Lifers see me coming they
know that I am an outsider trying to become an insider.
I never would have thought that I would have talked with people
outside of our class in SL.

7. “I can’t get the cow out of my mind. It’s all about the cow in this
world, isn’t it? Really, it is…”
I wonder what symbols would represent a child's perspective?
“We may never know the child's perspective”
My book talk selection by Gee has been very relevant to my
experiences in SL. He talks about the affinity group and how
outsiders can be recognized.
The revolving disks in the sky reminded of how technology is
forever changing and constantly advancing.

8. The avatars are closer to the real thing, I guess. Or, perhaps, it is
more so to my brain and my brain likes it better than a chat
session because it feels realistic - feels face to face, sounds and
visuals add to the authenticity, etc., ....
She was wearing a pair of pointed high heels which I could never
wear in RL, but in SL you can wear anything you want and look
anyway you want.
For someone who does not like shopping, I seem to be
accumulating a rather large inventory of clothes
Creating my avatar was frustrating at first. I kept changing things,
but could not get it look like me
so i bought new hair and some tattoos!! i look hott!
I find it interesting how they refer to their avatar and I find it
fascinating to see how the avatars will evolve or not.

9. “I'll take Real Life over Virtual Life any day”
“I wondered if I had seen any restaurants or McDonalds in Sl, I
don't remember seeing any.”
“I have to ask myself the question, what really is the separation
between the real world and the world of SL. We are able to do
the same things in both worlds. There are benefits of both
experiences. I have the need for both worlds”
Spring Break is over and I chose not to be on Second Life at all
during that time……. The parks would be a very stimulating
sensorial experience and I think I prefer that to the experiences
on Second Life.

10. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NzQqPH3JRw&feature=related
MUVE’s like Second Life have the potential to provide rich, authentic
learning experiences. Educators should be aware of the learning
curve for new environments and provide support and guidance to
ensure positive learning outcomes.
There are several areas for future exploration and research including:
•Identity
•Class Content
•RL/SL Divide