Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?

Welcome to ‘Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?’ and to Second Life for the first class! It has been noticeable in recent years that participants are navigating digital environments with greater ease and as a class you have demonstrated that definitively. Well done.

For those who may be having difficulty logging into SL or finding your way about please talk to your colleagues for advice and help.

After everyone settled down John and Locks Aichi introduced themselves and went through some housekeeping. We all added each other to our ‘friends’ list. This enables you to see when participants login to SL and you can send an instant message (IM) to each other when you are in different locations – very handy if someone gets lost in SL. John also added you to the DIT Module group and asked that you activate that group when joining the class. Think of it as your student card: it will give you access to DIT in SL. John also ensured that he knew everyone’s real identity – an important issue online where avatars and aliases allow us to present anonymously.

John explained that class will be interactive and discursive. Each week we will look at a different topic, introduced by a set text that you are asked to read before the class so as to inform the debate. It is important that everyone participates fully and engages to get full benefit from attending. You will also need to visit SL between class times to complete activities that will be set to encourage exploration. Specific activities will be set for the first few classes to get you started.

You were all asked to create a new blog for the duration of the course. You will be expected to write a weekly post describing your experience of the class and the discussions and activities in which you engage. If you keep this habit and post weekly you will avoid the burden of having to write a complete paper at the end of the module. John also explained that you will divided into groups next week to work on a project which will be presented at the final class of the semester. You are encouraged to read through the pages listed in the right hand column of this website to get full details of the project, see examples of previous student blogs and get an idea of what to expect in the rest of the course.

We discussed what communication platform we should use to support the class. It should be one that most people use already so you are not having to introduce something new. It also means that as you are using it regularly messages about the class are less likely to be missed. Previous groups set up private Facebook groups and used twitter and LinkedIN. Other options include WhatsApp or Tinder. Think about it and we will decide next week.

You will each receive L$300 to allow you experience the economy in SL but, don’t get too excited, it is only equivalent to about US$1. Visit some shops and markets to find out how the economy functions. If you want to earn more, see if you can find a part-time job in SL.

THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE NEXT CLASS:

1. Set up your blog: using blogger, wordpress, tumblr or any other blog site. Complete the ‘About Me’ page (read some of those pages on other blogs first) and remember it is different from the first post on your blog. Write from the perspective of your avatar: the persona you will be using to explore in this module. Email a link to your blog to John.
2. Write the first post: to your blog about your expectations for this module – what you hope to get out of it, what you think you might contribute, etc. Address the relevance of  module objectives from your perspective, ie, justify why you think they are important to you.
3. Look at: John O’Connor’s blog and Dreamscape Diary bearing in mind what you learned today compare your own blog writing to this.
4. Visit the following: Dolce Merda, Brain Pickings, Illustration Friday, Chris Brogan, Style Pantry Think about how you would identify these blog authors…what impression do you get of the person behind the blog?