Back to work, hurrah (or not)

Talks given about SL: 1 (good); Weeks since operation in RL: 8 and a bit (good); Hours spent using SL with a mobile 3G stick: several, but not whilst attending Eduserv/CETIS conference in case it sucked all the 3G goodness out of Andy Powell's stick

Is in fact now just over week since gave talk at Eduserv/CETIS event on Maximising the effectiveness of virtual worlds in teaching and learning. This was held at Strathclyde University in Glasgow and was first time had been more than 2 miles away from home in London for 7 weeks, so was Big Adventure. Felt knackered the next day, but was glad had gone as good event with lots of people there. Powerpoints and (when possible) audio was streamed into Eduserv conference centre in SL. In pics above you see me there after the event. To see what it looked like at the time, see http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=cevw09

In SL had dressed in fetching blue garb for conference, but
a) failed dismally in changing Internet Options so as to pick up the Strathclyde University wifi signal on my laptop;
b) even if had succeeded, was instructed that using SL via this wifi was forbidden;
c) noticed that Eduserv whiz Andy was using a 3G mobile stick to stream stuff into the SL Eduserv, and did not wish to disrupt this, so refrained from using my own 3G device. Noted in passing that his stick is bigger than my stick, so perhaps his would have won anyway in competition to suck up all the 3G signal (can see that my understanding of how mobile phones work is at sub-bluffer level).

Am now in Sheffield, bit of a shock as instead of e.g. partaking of exquisite lunch prepared by better half and then settling down for quiet doze whilst listening to Radio 4 or watching the 2.30 from Lingfield*, I am now having to revise module outlines, chair Teaching Committee, mark dissertations and circulate guidance on wordcounts for individual and group work for both 15 and 20 credit modules in line with university recommendations as stated on the E1 form. Yay.

Anyway, scarcely need to say much about the Eduserv/CETIS event as all you might need to know is on the wiki at http://wiki.cetis.ac.uk/CETIS-Eduserv-VW2009 , including my own powerpoint and voicecast that have not yet dared to play. At least with an audio file you can't see me waving my hands around as if fending off attack from demented bats. However, having said that, I did take some notes, so will recount these in subsequent entry.

Got own talk over with unexpectedly early, since Silversprite, due to speak first, was taken with a RL nosebleed that did not stop. He arrived at lunchtime so were able to swap medical stories. Discovered that I was nervous about speaking, so actually relief to get it over with. Met a couple of people that had previously only met in SL, e.g. Fire Centaur, and also a North American colleague who had not seen for years and who is spending a sabbatical investigating virtual worlds which sounds fun. Will leave any description of actual content of presentations to next posting. May blog a few non-work items in between.

* Lingfield is a RL all-weather racecourse, BTW, where racehorses of generally moderate ability compete for risibly low prize money.