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Class 2: Online collaboration

February 6, 2015

020515 - class with Site

Class started with a selection of students delivering their elevator pitches. Really good work and well presented from everyone. The class has an interesting mix of students from healthcare, creative and cultural backgrounds.

Sitearm Madonna kicked off his Team-building talk by asking who had worked in a successful team. Most people had some experience. He shared his online slide presentation using a narrative to set the scene, and then referring to the slides to highlight how teams are built: Form–Storm–Norm–Perform. He noted that the Storm stage is probably the most uncomfortable but, it passes!

When your team gets to the Norm stage, it is imperative, that you have ground rules in place, for example: agree to entertain all ideas without criticism; remember nothing is too wild; everyone has something to contribute. He also suggested that teams may need to move between brainstorming and deciding quite a few times before settling on a final direction.

Review slide 5 to see how he identified the effective team roles. Using the narrative with which he began he highlighted how this played out when four team members had to work together. Sometimes, you will find that one person may take on more than one role, or there may be more than one person with a single role.

A notecard with the Student Groups was circulated so that you can start to get to know each other. (For those who missed class the notecard will be added to the class group #iole15 so make sure you have joined and activated the group next time you visit Second Life.) We have nine teams with four members each, and have tried to make each group as diverse as possible. You will need to work collaboratively online and we encourage you to support one other. Working in groups online is much the same as in real life, so spend time together and get past the Form and Storm stages in good time.

The brief for the Group Project work will be presented in next week’s class.

Sitearm Madonna is online, as are all of the guest speakers you will meet throughout the course. Find him @sitearm and his blog.

ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT CLASS:

  1. Explore: Get to know your group members and explore SL with your group. You are to visit at least 3 locations that are new to you. Find them in search, or ask other residents for recommendations or select them at random. Also find a blog that interests you and review it with respect to subject area, engagement, profile of blogger, etc. Can be a hobby, any interest… 
  2. Discuss: with your group how you would like to operate, what ground rules might be helpful, and who might take on different roles. Think about what skills you have now have collectively.
  3. Write the second post : on your blog reviewing the locations you visited. Explain how and why you chose them and what relevance they might have for your group.
  4. Read: The Lazy Person’s Guide to Personal Branding by Yohana Desta at Mashable or Personal Branding Basics by Chris Brogan, expert in online community, social media, and related technologies or The first Step to Building Your Personal Brand from Forbes.
  5. Other interesting reading about SL and virtual worlds:
    in Virtual Worlds Magazine, Virtual Anthropology and the Prometheus myth
    An article about Rod Humble, former CEO of Linden Labs, owner of Second Life Shared created spaces
    Your Second Life is Ready – Popular Science’s take on SL in 2006.

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Class 1: Akron meets Dublin

January 30, 2015

CLASS SUMMARY: Akron students started familiarising themselves with Second Life in early January and Dublin students joined them this week on Akron Island, virtual home of the University of Akron. This semester sees a larger group than previously with about 30 participants in total. Dudley and John spoke about the module in general and gave some details of what to expect over the next weeks.

  1. The format of the class is interactive discussion, based on reading material provided prior to the class. You need to have read the material posted in advance (or else next class will be longer to allow for catch-up).
  2. You will need to spend time in SL outside the normal class time to complete tasks and activities.
  3. Check this blog regularly for updates on the module. Information will also be posted to Twittter using the hashtag #iole15. When you post to Twitter don’t forget to include this hashtag.
  4. After each class you will be given a topic to write about in your blog. It is important to keep your blog up to date as this will ensure you don’t have an excessive amount of work to do at the end of the module. The blogs will be graded using the rubrics found here.
  5. Academic writing standards must be adhered to always.
  6. Every week, visit a new location in SL and refer to it in your blogpost.

Academic writing Part of the methodology for this module is to use writing as a mechanism for learning and as a goal in itself. We hope that by the end of this module you are confident in writing as well as being familiar with conventions around accountable writing. The following points were addressed:

  • Forms of writing to use include: Narrative, Descriptive, Reflective, Critical.
  • Sourcing reliable information is essential: where to find it, deciding what is okay to use (judging sources)
  • Correct referencing is essential. Use the Chicago or APA style preferably (see link below) MLA if needed.
  • Writing to topic – don’t go off the point. Use headings as anchors.

References

DIT’s Study & IT Skills Survival Guide for Academic Writing
Purdue Online Writing Lab page on Academic Writing

Here is a guide to the Chicago referencing style
And here is a guide to the APA style
And this helps with MLA if you use it.

ACTIVITIES FOR 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.  Post a link to your blog in your SL and twitter profiles. 
  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, all the while applying the conventions of academic writing given in the class.
  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?
  5. Set up: your twitter account in your avatar’s name. When posting to twitter don’t forget to use the hashtag #iole15.
  6. Do: Based on your ‘About Me’ blog page prepare a 30-second ‘elevator pitch’ about yourself and the identity you want to portray online for the next class. Think about yourself (your avatar). Who are you? What is your online identity? (who you are and what you are about). NOTE: Dudley will provide a notecard in SL with some help for the elevator pitch if you IM him and ask for it.

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New module begins 29th January 2015

September 6, 2014

We are pleased to announce that registration for the Spring 2015 course is now open. The module will begin Thursday, January 29th, 8:00 p.m. Irish Time, and will be taught online in Second Life.

The ‘Is One Life Enough’ professional social media course is a university-level online course taught weekly for 10 sessions held at Dublin Institute of Technology Campus in Second Life and accredited by Dublin Institute of Technology in Ireland. The audience for this course is undergraduates, professionals, and educators seeking university-level training and credit in the use of online tools, such as Second Life, WordPress, Twitter and LinkedIn. Attend class as avatars participants will maintain online journals between sessions. Students will learn to establish and strengthen their online professional presence. You will learn also to work collaboratively, online, to complete team projects selected by the students and presented at module’s end to a collective university and Second Life audience.

Dublin Institute of Technology Students will receive 5 ECTS Credits as part of their current tuition – contact the office of Dean John O’Connor or your School for details.
Second Life Students receive DIT Accredited Professional Continuing Education Credit for a part-time tuition fee (99 Euro or equivalent in L$/US$) – contact Dublin In SL Registrar Sitearm Madonna
University of Akron Students may receive UOA College Credit as part of their current tuition – contact the office of Dr. Dudley B. Turner.

Inquiries: James Neville (‘Sitearm Madonna’ in SL) sitearm@gmail.com

Module History

In 2009, the ‘Is One Life Enough’ module was founded for Dublin Institute of Technology DIT students by (then) Head of School, John O’Connor (‘Acuppa Tae’ in SL), and eLearning Development Officer, Claudia Igbrude (‘Locks Aichi’ in SL).

In 2010, IOLE received the ‘Jennifer Burke Innovation in Teaching and Learning Award’ from the Irish Learning Technology Association and Dublin City University. Also in 2010, module eligibility was expanded to the greater Second Life Community via collaboration with Dublin Virtually Live Owner, John Mahon (‘Ham Rambler’ in SL).

In 2012, IOLE received the ‘Further and Higher Education Innovation Award’ from Learning Without Frontiers (London, UK). Also in 2012, Dr. Dudley Turner (ìDudley Dreamscapeî in SL) graduated from the Autumn 2012 module as a Second Life Student.

In 2014, module eligibility was further expanded to University of Akron students via collaboration with Dr. Turner.

Organization History

Dublin Institute of Technology is the largest provider of third level education in Ireland with degree awarding power and is on track to be Ireland’s first nationally accredited technological university.

Dublin in Second Life is a recreation of Dublin City online, celebrating the music, art, education, culture, and enterprise of Ireland and is a premier member of the broad Second Life Community, recognized by both Residents and Linden Lab Top Management.

University of Akron is one of America’s strongest public universities, focused on innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth.

Vitae

John O’Connor is a Director of Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in Dublin, Ireland, and Dean of the College of Arts and Tourism. His work includes sitting on the Senior Leadership Team of DIT, teaching the award winning module, ‘Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?’ and promoting Dublin as a creative city and thriving economic hub. His academic interests include: access to education for isolated communities; the use of technology to support learning; typography; and development of the professional design sector in Ireland.

Dr. Dudley B. Turner is Former Interim Dean, College of Creative & Professional Arts, University of Akron (UOA) in Akron, Ohio, USA. He teaches communication, persuasion, and professional speaking. Dr. Turner is a champion of the use of virtual world communication technologies such as Second Life. He is the 2014 winner of the prestigious Ohio’s Innovative Teacher Award from the Ohio Communication Association.

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Class 12: Reality

May 2, 2014

The three student groups gave their presentations in this class and it was evident that all had given great thought to the content and serious effort to the production.

Tutor Locks Aichi.

Tutor Locks Aichi.

Student group

After the final project was presented all students gathered to answer questions from the judging panel and hear their comments.

The students were divided into three groups with each one comprising Akron and DIT participants.

The students were divided into three groups with each one comprising Akron and DIT participants.

The third group presented first.

The third group presented first…

Group 2

…followed by the second group…

Group 1

…with the first group completing the agenda.

 

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Classes 10 and 11: Project work

April 24, 2014

CLASS SUMMARY:

The final two classes were given over to project work. In class 10 we had feedback from each group on how they were approaching their projects and collaborative online engagement.

For class 11 each group went to a different part of Akron Island to work on their projects and the lecturers visited each group to get feedback and offer advice.

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Class 9: Project work

April 11, 2014

SL class discussion_001CLASS SUMMARY:

The class commenced with a discussion arising from the reading material given last week. The effects of careless or thoughtless tweets posted by individuals who would have been expected to know better (for the most part) were reviewed. The ease of posting a tweet without thinking of the result and the subsequent impact on your career, family and friends was considered – along with the unwitting exposure of privately held views that may be unacceptable in society. The conversation also ranged into the area of privacy and how the appearance of openness may be simply an appearance – with consequent behavioural changes. In other words, people still require privacy – they simply guard it in different ways. The conventions around the use of social media continue to develop in line with these challenges. Social networks that prioritise privacy are now becoming popular and may well find that they can charge a premium for this value.

The second part of the class consisted of an update on progress in the group projects. All teams reported on the theme, communication between team members and development status. Good work on all fronts.

 

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Class 8: Presenting yourself online

April 4, 2014

CLASS SUMMARY:

Snapshot_003

Sitearm Madonna (left, with John O’Connor and Dudley Dreamscape) joined the class again this week to share knowledge and experience of presenting online. The accompanying slide show Presentation Tips for Virtual Collaboration Projects is worth reviewing again.

A question-and-answer session segued to a broader discussion on the use of social networks arising from the reading material set the week before last. The lively session was conducted through voice and text chat and ranged from the different social mores of twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other platforms to the power relationship between the boss/workers students/teachers.

ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT CLASS:

  1. Post an entry to your blog describing progress on your group project. Be sure to write about your own particular contribution, how you are finding online communication, what is working well and what is not.
  2. Read Justine Sacco, PR executive fired over racist tweet, ‘ashamed’
  3. Read Police chief insists teens say ‘appalling things’ on Twitter
  4. Read Dr Phil deletes controversial tweet

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Class 7: Informal discussion

March 28, 2014

CLASS SUMMARY:

This week is Spring Break for students of the University of Akron so attendance at class was optional. Although only three participants were in a position to attend there was representation from each of the Project Groups. We talked about the progress each group was making and answered some general questions.

One important piece of advice was for participants to ensure their presentation was directed to those who will be attending in Second Life. In other words, while it was appropriate to introduce a range of media into the presentation it should be remembered that this is a live virtual performance. So, it would not be a good idea for a group to simply prepare a video for showing on the day.

It was agreed that Akron Island is the most appropriate location for the presentations as participants can build there and Dudley Dreamscape indicated that tools such as media players can be made available.

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Class 6: Blog Posts and Group Work

March 21, 2014

The IOLE14 participants met on Akron Island this week.

We spent the first part of our class discussing our blogs: what you have done and ways that you can continue to improve them.

Part of the purpose for the blog is for you to report on your progress in the IOLE module, and you have done that.  But there is more to consider when you create your blog posts.

As part of your virtual identity or your personal brand, your blog posts influence the reader.  The writer should want to present their information and thoughts in a professional and thoughtful way.  How can you do that? Dudley Dreamscape and John mentioned a few ways.

First, you can be sure to provide the context for your post.  If you refer to what you did “for class,” let the reader know what class and give them a link to our blog (IOLE).  If the reader happened to find your blog post through a search and the key term showed up in your post, they found you – now let them know where this is coming from.

Second, and similarly, the context comes from something you read or experienced.  When referring to something you read, provide a link to it.  Just as you would in an academic paper with a footnote so the reader can find the original source, you can provide a link to the article, video, or other source that you refer to.  If you visited a place in Second Life, get the SLUrl, the location for the place as well as telling us the name of the place.  If the reader happens to find you because you mentioned a group they are in or a place they are familiar with, it is much better for them to see that others reading your blog are able to find their place (building good relations).

Third, you should do more “reflection” in your blog posts. Describe what you learned and what other people have learned and their experiences then spend some time reflecting on those lessons.  Bring it all into your own writing, a more discursive space – writing your opinions, support for your opinions, and relevance for your opinions.  This is a start to building respect for your opinions and perspectives – building your personal brand so that others want to follow you, read what you have to say.

Remember that there is no right or wrong way to reflect. Your reflections are your thoughts, and while we can all engage with them and you, we cannot fault you.  So don’t be afraid to express your thoughts.

In other words, we want you to think (as students and others should do). Share your thoughts and how they relate to your colleagues thoughts.  Along with your own blog, read the others and provide feedback to them, too.  Build and continue the dialogue.

We then broke into groups and gave feedback to our fearless leaders.

Group work in the cabin

IOLE14 group working in our cabin

Group in photo op

Group taking a photo op

Meeting on the cliff

IOLE14 group meeting on the cliff

NEXT WEEK:

The Akron students have “Spring Break” and may not be available.  The instructors (both Akron and DIT) will be available at the regular meeting time for anyone who wants to log into SL.  We can help with your planning for your final project, or provide some help with presentation techniques and tools.

However, we still want some activity from the students.

  1. Read (see below), and
  2. Post on your blog (catch up and continue); reflect on the readings as examples of the use of virtual worlds or in light of our theme “Reality.”

READINGS:

“Technology’s Impact on Disaster Relief,” examples:

http://forums.techsoup.org/cs/community/b/tsblog/archive/2012/10/31/technologys-impact-on-disaster-relief.aspx

Digital Marketing Blog

Hashtag use in social Media Engagement:

http://www.siliconcloud.com/blog/bid/92928/are-hashtags-actually-a-useful-social-media-engagement-tool?source=Blog_Email_[Are%20Hashtags%20Actuall

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Class 5: Content creation

March 14, 2014

Ham Rambler 1_001CLASS SUMMARY:

Ham Rambler (above) and Sitearm Madonna spoke on the development of content in the online environment. Sitearm covered the following points:

  • Content Creation – what constitutes content, how is it generated?
  • Value – does your content have any value?
  • Sharing your content – making it available, generating an income.
  • Use and protection of online content – copyright and Intellectual Property (IP) issues.
  • Consider your content for the end project.

Ham talked about the use of corporate trademarks in Second Life and the reaction of global brands to seeing themselves appear in the virtual world. The various methodologies for protecting content including copyright, trademark registration and patents were discussed. A question about the copyright of book titles focussed on what might not be protected (see You Thought We Wouldn’t Notice…) The development of digital and online content has led to a new approach to sharing under the Creative Commons system.  Finally, we referred to Bruns’ Consumer – Prosumer – Produser proposition brought about by the web (see last weeks list of activities).

Sitearm Madonna’s slides are available here:
Content creation examples and tips
Creating content inside and outside of Second Life (with an emphasis on team working)
Tips and tools for online virtual collaboration and team working

Some other interesting links from Sitearm:
Soundtracks from the Is One Life Enough Song Contest
YouTube video of the Second Life Build A Robot Contest Winners

ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT CLASS:

1. Read: Content licensing in Virtual Worlds (accessed on 03/14/14) a thoughtful blog post about the legal issues around protecting ‘things’ you create in Second Life. Read the comments also.

2. Read The Laws of Virtual Worlds (accessed on 03/14/14) from the California Law Review 2003 this is an excellent, if highly specialised, review of the legal position of avatars in virtual worlds.

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