Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?

After weeks of preparation, the students pulled togther all they had learned in their final projects in which they had to work in groups.  They had to  navigate the challenges of working in a virtual team to create an artefact which represented the theme “Virtuality”

Guest judeges were Sitearm Madonna and Lisa Elfay. We also had 2 special guests Jaynine Scarborough who had been of immense support to the students from when we visited her “thousand rooms” on a field trip

As they say a picture is more than a thousand words and video…..

*Pictures are courtesy of Sitearm Madonna

Given that students have now been split into groups to work on their ideas for end of term showcase, we spend this session discussing the dynamics of group working particularly in an online context.

Our guests from the MSc in Applied elearning made it to this week’s  class and also took part in the conversation. Second-life life as a bit laggy today but it didn’t stop the class from having a good conversation around the topic.

It was concluded that working collaboratively online could be successful if managed right. To manage it right, key things such as communication, clarification of agreements and goals, using appropriate tools which can track work such as Google docs or wikis(pbworks) were all deemed as important. It was also determined that a project coordinator was required and not so much to lead but more to ensure things stayed on track . The students also felt that is was important to be able to “contain” both people who had a tendency to dominate and those who had a tendency to hide behind others.

All in all, we hope to see evidence of good teamwork in students end of term presentations!

Next week’s class will hold on the Friday instead of the Thursday and students will be presenting what they propose to do for the showcase and also explain how it meets the module objectives from their perspective.

On the 19th of April, students will hear from a graduate of this module: Sitearm Madonna  on how to tighten their work as a group and he will also suggest some approaches and tools to consider.  Apart from being a graduate of this module, Site works online on various SL projects.

Class started with a reflection on last week’s class led by Elfay and the class visit to Thousand rooms where we were hosted by Jaynie and met with a number of very interesting people who had build up significantly large communities within  second-life with some even expanding into real life.

For class 5 we focused on the creation of content for online. That is digital content.

Digital content in our context refers to images, sounds, videos, text,etc. As art an design professionals, a lot of work is created for the online medium and even work that isn’t can end up in an online space.(e.g real life sculptures). In this class we discussed the relevance of being able to responsibly share work created by  others and what to consider when making our own work available.

Discussions then touched on the use of the web as both consumers and producers referring to Axel Bruns and hs concept of produsage .

Students have now been split into their groups for the end of term  assessment showcase

The concepts of copyright and creative commons were introduced and students were given an assignment to blog about their perspectives on how to handle theft or misuse of their work as had been experienced by one student.

8pm GMT: Class will begin at the regular virtual DIT classroom with Lisa for an hour.

Second hour will move to J9’s SIM Thousand Rooms (make sure you already have the SLURL for that SIM ahead of class time)

She (and I) will have invited our regular friends/guests from both our shows to participate in this portion of the class.  J9 will likely perform (she’s a professional musician in both worlds) and then talk about her own experience with the issues covered in beginning of class.

Interact with us and our guests throughout the hour.

There will be time for Q & A before class ends.

The Show Links:

Coffee & Pajamas Jazz Show networking:

1. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elfay lots of posters in the photos section here as well
2. Google+: https://plus.google.com/101611317878800691310/about
3. Show Voice Sampler: http://www.wix.com/xxelfayxx/jammies
4. Deviant Art; http://elfay.deviantart.com/gallery/
5. Neil Delaney; Show Poster Designer: http://vandalhandle.deviantart.com/gallery/27585645
6. His own Site: http://vandalhandle.com/

“The Frequent Asides:

There is also my own life/”private” networking on Flickr, Tumblr, Linkedin, Artbistro, and Mandys as well as my own portal site.  But they can all be found by starting at one or more of the above.  So nothing is private. So in other words…nothing is private.”

My personal favorite Blogs:

1. http://thebloggess.com/
2. http://maddox.xmission.com/
3. http://bitchesgottaeat.blogspot.com/

CLASS SUMMARY:

This week’s class started with each participant making an ‘elevator pitch’ – a one-minute summary of what they expect from the module. All made confident, coherent and informative pitches using voice in SL. We talked about how it felt to give a presentation in SL as opposed to a classroom in real life (IRL) classroom and all agreed it was easier in SL due the level of anonymity and the ‘distance’ created through meeting online.

This led on a discussion on developing one’s avatar in SL. Most participants said they enjoyed creating an avatar that is different from how they perceive of themselves IRL. Tae contrasted this with his attempt to match the appearance of his SL avatar to his appearance IRL, albeit how he may have appeared some five years previously, and noted that avatars don’t age. The reasoning behind these decisions was explored and compared with our usual approach to Facebook. It was generally agreed that most of us use FB purely for social reasons, it is a less formal space for chatting and keeping in contact with friends and family. In some cases this led to an awareness of presenting ourselves in the best possible light, just as we generally try to look our best when meeting socially. The freedom to experiment offered by the anonymity of their SL avatars and their relatively anonymous blogs was acknowledged by some participants. There can be less self-consciousness when you are engaging at a distance, through an online connection.

The difference between presenting oneself personally and professionally was touched upon with reference to the links posted in last week’s class summary. We also discussed the idea of the ‘personal brand’ – what it meant, how to create, promote and maintain it. Issues around consistency, reliability, reputation etc were explored and the importance of integrity and honesty was raised. The case of the Gay Girl in Damascus blog was cited as an example of the ‘politics of identity’ that can be highlighted by the ease of creating a persona online.

Next week’s class will be taken by Elfay Pinkdot, host of Coffee and Pajamas. She will be taking you on a tour of some of the exciting social venues in SL and introducing you to some interesting residents. Be early, or you risk missing the tour and be prepared to stay on later than the normal class. It will be fun and illuminating!

ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT CLASS:

Go outside your established community/group (eg, this class group) in SL and make contact with at least two people relevant to your interests (artist, gallery owner, shop selling art, etc). You will write a post on your blog explaining the relevant of these new contacts you have made.

CLASS SUMMARY:

Locks gave an introduction to writing in the academic style, explaining what it means, how to do it and why it is important. From now on all blog entries should be written in this style, starting with a rewrite of your first post to your new blogs. The school uses the Chicago referencing style which can be found by clicking here.

ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT WEEK:

Rewrite your blog entry from last week this time applying the conventions of academic writing.

Reading: recent article in The Irish Times about using social media for branding.

Look at a designer’s blog, professional blog, illustrator’s blog, art blog.

Prepare a one-minute elevator pitch about yourself and what you hope to gain from the module.

CLASS SUMMARY:

After making the introductions and welcoming the new participants we suggested that you put a face to your avatars for the next class – personalise it by ‘Editing Appearances’ and/or buying clothes and accessories. Remember, as far as we are concerned you are your avatar! We will always refer to you by your Second Life name, so, if you are not happy with the name you have chosen change it now, before the next class. You will also need to complete your profile in SL. Right-click on your avatar to bring up a list from which you can select and then edit your profile. You don’t need to put in details of your real identity if you prefer not to.

The format of the class will be interactive discussion, supported by reading material provided in this blog prior to the class. You will need to have read the material in advance (or else next class will be longer to allow for catch-up). In addition, you will need to spend time in SL outside the normal class time to familiarise yourself with the environment and to complete set tasks and activities.

In the unlikely event that SL is down, you will receive a text to let you know what alternative arrangements are in place for class.

By signing up to this module you are committing to all of the above.

ACTIVITES FOR NEXT CLASS:

1. Complete the profile for your SL avatar.
2. Set up your blog using Blogger, WordPress or any other blog site that supports text. Complete the About Me section on your blog by writing about your expectations for this module – what you hope to get out of it, what you think you might contribute, etc.
3. Join LinkedIN using your SL avatar’s name. Then click here to join the module group.
4. Go to the Coffee & Pajamas Jazz Show at the Sunset Jazz Club on Laurel Arts Isle between 1800 and 2000 GMT on Sunday 12 February. Elfay Pinkdot is the DJ – you must say ‘hi’ to her and tell her you are from the DIT class. If you can’t get there you must explore three other places in SL. The first post to your blog should describe your experience at Coffee and Pajamas or the other place you visit.
5. Post a link to your blog on to LinkedIN discussion forum, review the blogs of your colleagues and comment.
6. Send an email to claudia.igbrude(at)dit(dot)ie with your SL name and your mobile phone number.
7. Reading: Night of the Living Tech, from the New York Times. Recently, Wired magazine proclaimed, “The Web Is Dead.” Yet evolution — not extinction — has always been the primary rule of media ecology, even if the rate of change is speeding up.