The Team Project presentations were hosted by Çağ University in the auditorium. John received slide shows from each team and set them up on the platform in advance. There was full attendance from each team and they presented in the following order:
No technical problems arose and each presentation went off smoothly and efficiently. John complimented the participants on their submissions and thanked them for their attendance throughout the semester. He also thanked the Çağ students who had come along to class along with their supervisors and teahers and all the guest speakers.
Sitearm Madonna and Acuppa Tae introduced the concept of thinking about identity with intention, a way of thinking that allows us to deliberately develop our approach to presenting ourselves purposefully. The content of the class emerged from a talk we gave jointly at the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) conference earlier this year.
Sitearm Madonna talks about identity as avatar. Photo Barbara Collazo
Second Life, through the use of avatars, allows for the opprtunity to choose an identity and so opens the door to considering identity not just in a virtual world but also in the natural world.
Avatar – Identity with Intent, presentation by Sitearm Madonna and Acuppa Tae. Recording courtesy of Sitearm Madonna.
Following the formal talk we demonstrated how easy it is to change the physical appearance of our avatars. Sitearm and Tae explained how to save your current avatar using the ‘My Outfits’ before changing your avatar either by editing your existing one or selecting a completely different avatar from the menu bar. You can also change your appearance by dressing your avatar in the wide range of clothing available freely, or to be paid for in stores, across Second Life or through the web at the Second Life Marketplace. We discussed how the simple act of changing your avatar affects how you feel about yourself immediately. Those of us who have been resident in Second Life for many years shared how attached we have become to our avatars and how strong the identification can be after such a long association. This is particulary noticable in those who attempt to fashion avatars that mirror their natural world appearance.
Demonstrating how easy it is to change the avatar’s appearance. Recording courtesy of Sitearm Madonna.
To close, Sitearm spoke about the many personality tests and team role identifiers that are used both by employers, teams and individuals to identify traits, stengths and weaknesses. Two of the most commonly used systems are the Belbin Team Inventory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. He introduced a more recent addition, Principles You, that uses a cartographic in an attempt to explore the complex nature of personality archetypes and how they connect. This all comes with the warning that such tools are relatively crude and should not be taken as giving definitive descriptions however, they can be helpful in exploring our personalities and building effective teams.
Sitearm Madonna introduces the Principles You Archetype Archipelago. Recording courtesy of Sitearm Madonna
For example, Sitearm and Tae completed the free test offered by Principles You which yielded the following results:
Sitearm: Artisan; strategist, planner in CREATORS and ARCHITECTS
Tae: Inspirer; impresario, entertainer in ADVOCATES and ENTHUSIASTS
On the map Sitearm and Tae connect through the CREATIVE and LEADERSHIP islands.
You can visit the Principles You website to see the ‘archetypes archipelago’ and see how this approach offers a flexible approach to teambuilding.
Another field trip this week: we visited the Abyss Observatory where Delia Lake brought us on a tour of this science museum / aquarium of the Earth, marine life, undersea technology that inspires a sense of wonder for the deepsea world. This included seeing various ecosystems recreated accurately with appropriate flora and fauna. Delia explained the impact of human intervention on these environments and how they are changing due to the heating of the oceans. There is so much to see in this very detailed and extensive sim that Delia invited us back to explore further in our own time. Everyone is welcome anytime.
There were a few issues with the sound and some participants experienced occasional drop out. So, here is a recording of this field trip from last year’s class which covers much of the same ground.
We had the field trip to Virtual Ability Island (VAI) this week where we were welcomed by Gentle Heron who outlined the history and raison d’être for the community. Following this we broke out into five groups, each one led by a member of the VAI team, for an opportunity to have a discussion about the functioning of the community. The small groups made it easier for the students to ask questions and learn a little more about the members of VAI, why they joined, and what they get from being members.
John O’Connor / Acuppa Tae introduces the work of Marshall McLuhan. Photo Barbara Collazo
This week the class met at the VWEC Eduverse Fireside Deck for a talk on the 20th Century media theorist from Canada, Marshall McLuhan. If you missed it you can view a video of the talk from February 2023. We were joined again by our friends from Çağ University, Prof Murat Gülmez (aka Magua) and Ersin İnal (aka Ginger) along with their students.
The Virtual Worlds Education Consortium (VWEC) hosts the VWEC Eduverse, a space for educators and educational institutions across Second Life. The Fireside Deck is a communal space used for informal meetings, a series of Fireside Chats where issues of interest to teachers and educators can be discussed (with groups meeting to chat in English, Spanish and Polish), and the VWEC Metaverse Expert Series featuring talks by educators and academics with expertise and experience of teaching in virtual worlds. The series is available to review on YouTube with the full schedule of presentations freely available.
Valibrarian talks about literacy in the digital age and digital citizenship. Photo Barbara Collazo
We were joined by the Turkish students from Çağ University for this week’s class. Valibrarian presented on metaliteracy and digital citizenship introducing us to the topics addressed in her 2020 book book Metamodernism and Changing Literacy: Emerging Research and Opportunities. Following the main presentation we teleported to a ‘dark room’ to learn about the dark side of digital existence. Then, to finish on a bright note Val invited us to the Community Virtual Library for a lively discussion on the issues raised in her talk.
The dark side of the metaverse… Photo Barbara CollazoThe class concluded in the Community Virtual Library with a lively Q&A session. Photo Barbara Collazo
We were joined by PhD reseacher from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who is looking at education in the metaverse. She invited the students to take part in a focus group to provide data for her research.
Project Teams gather at the Çağ University campus as class commences. Photo Barbara Collazo
Sitearm Madonna joined us at the Çağ University campus for today’s class on Teamwork and Collaboration. Here is a recording of Sitearm’s presentation:
Following the presentation we did a quick check-in with each team to answer the following questions: 1. Has your team held its first meeting? 2. Who is your Team lead and assistant lead? 3. How will your team communicate outside SL? 4. Did you discuss the brief for the Team Project?
All teams answered positively and have given some thought to the project and how they will address it.
Sitearm Madonna presents on the theory of team development and operation. Photo Barbara Collazo
Finally, we paid a quick visit to a build by one of last year’s Turkish students, Ovcel, demonstrating the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Students settle in to their first class of the semester in Second Life. Photo by Barbara Collazo.
We got off to a good start this semester with a good show of students who all arrived well prepared. All had voice activated and were able to get their avatars sitting down ready to pay attention to the class content. This is not always an easy task and it demonstrated that participants had signed up for SL at least a few days before the class and had spent some time getting to know the basics – always a good sign of genuine interest and engagement. I also noted that participants were happy to use voice and IM to communicate and ask useful questions.
We quickly ensured that everyone had been added to each others friends lists, and that all joined the TU Dublin group so that we could keep in contact. There is some interest in upgrading from the basic avatars and students would like to customise them. We will return to that in the next class.
We were joined for some of the class by Barbara Collazo, a photographer, who was commissioned by The Avatar Scholar to record some images for the forthcoming issue which features an article I have written. We all went out to the deck to provide some variety for the photographs and to give us all a chance to stretch our legs (not that avatars get tired or stiff from sitting for long periods but, the people behind the avatars need to be stimulated by something different or there is a tendency to drift off and lose focus).
I explained the structure of our VLA, Brightspace, to the class and asked paticipants to spend some time reviewing the content – particularly the section for today’s and also the section on Assessment. It is important to be familiar with the assessment requirements because the work is spread evenly throughout the semester to ensure there is not too much pressure on students at the end of the semester, when all their other modules will require submission of work. I also reminded them that the schedule/timetable is available in the Introduction section and it is important to note that for reference. We will also welcome guest speakers joining to share their expertise on a range of topics and will go on site visits with some of them to see other places in Second Life.
John O’Connor / Acuppa Tae welcomes participants to the class in Second Life. Photo Barbara Collazo.
Then we made a brief visit to the campus of Çağ (pronounced ’Chá‘ in English) University where we will meet students from this Turkish university during the semester. We will also meet here for some of the talks by guest speakers. Following that we went to the VWEC Eduverse plaza where many of the academic institutions that have a presence in Second Life meet to share experiences and knowledge. There are many interesting events held in the plaza with a schedule giving the full listing. I particularly recommended the Expert Talks series on Friday evenings at 9:00 pm Irish Time.
Concluding, I gave the class their assignment to be completed before the next class: Explore Second Life with some colleagues from the class. Visit at least 3 different locations. Find them in ‘Search’, or ask other residents for recommendations, or simply select places at random. Participants were also asked to review the section in the Brightspace VLE on Class 2: Team Project – Virtually Sustainable?
Virtual Environments: Is one life enough? 