Showing posts with label lilac2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lilac2008. Show all posts

Wednesday, 19 March 2008

Conference, Dancing

Workshops completed: 1 (good); Librarians carried on virtual bus tour: 16 (good); conference discos attended in RL: 1 (tiring)

Have completed 2nd workshop at LILAC conference. Seemed to go fairly well, and had extra time so was able to fit in tour of island. This was using Mystihud device where you can create chairs which follow you around (in fact can specify that they follow around anyone in vicinity so envisage some merriment in attaching sets of follow-chairs to unsuspecting friends).

Tour guide effect was heightened by fact that Pam, Ishbel and I were carrying lilac umbrellas so that could be readily identified by delegates. Anyway did indeed feel like guided tour as zoomed along towing rows of seats, and only had one real glitch when initially pressed PAGE UP when meant to press PAGE DOWN so almost got lost in stratosphere right at the start. Much jocular talk from passengers of feeling sick, can imagine might feel a bit odd. Though of course when new to SL this is probably just one more piece of oddness.

Was helped by PG student Alane inworld and was only after session was over that realised that hadn’t actually communicated to him fact that had ended. Hopefully disappearance of avatars signalled end but still was rather rude and hope has not soured good staff-student relationships etc. etc.
In session itself had usual issues of box opening, wearing carpets etc. and because of proliferation of conference boxes on ground at one point wasted some time trying to get delegate to copy someone else’s box, felt v. stupid.
At end of day lots more people signed up to Information Literacy Group, hurrah, and have promised to organise more events.

RL conference dinner on previous evening held in Liverpool City Halls, v. grand. As usual included disco after dinner and enjoyed disporting in party frock. Various pros and cons to RL vs. SL dancing.
Pros of RL dancing:
- exercising, therefore healthy;
- general enjoyment of bopping around to beat;
- can make whatever movements you want, within physical limitations, thus expressing individual creativity.
Cons of RL dancing;
- get tired when have been dancing for – well, for not very long, really;
- feet start hurting unless wearing v. sensible shoes;
- cannot adjust volume;
- no dancing and drinking at same time;
- spontaneous synchronised group dancing impossibility unless happen to REALLY be in film version of your own life.

Tuesday, 18 March 2008

Conference

Conference workshop sessions delivered: 1 (good); No of platefuls of nosh eaten at RL conference reception: 2 (bad; in terms of calories consumed, that is); No of "girl next door" avatars collected on island: 10 (approx)
Am at LILAC information literacy conference at which highlight is of course series of 2 workshops on SL given by Ishbel and me. Maggie cannot be with us for RL reasons. We were lucky that Pam Ribble, all round SL librarian and SL mentor, works at the uni where conference is based. Is all v. strange in that Ishbel and Pam and I are all meeting up for first time in RL and getting used to the different coloured hair, larger waistlines etc. (ahem) of our SL friends.

Also fortunately technology works v. well with faster speed than at own desktop. Had about 22 people in session yesterday, almost all newbies and thus the proliferation of Girl Next Door avatars in original form, but soon participants were donning t-shirts, skirts, boxes, flying carpets etc. in traditional fashion.Were a couple of people who still hadn't managed to get own avatars due to various glitches, which is v. frustrating for them. One person worked somewhere where they weren't even allowed to access the Second Life website, let along SL itself.

Anyway, was v.v. exciting to see all these people on the island milling around in jocular fashion. Session was only 45 mins. in toto and flashed passed. Thus only took a few pics at end and one shows people in various stages of dress and wearing their sparklers etc., and second one shows usual litter left after the session with Conference Boxes (note attractive lilac theme) for me to clear up.

Final compilation pic is me and Ishbel attending to LILAC conference house beforehand but in fact not sure anyone got as far as stumblng into it. Thought that counts though, eh.

Sunday, 16 March 2008

Resources list for the SL session at the LILAC conference

Ribble, P. (2008) Guide to SL basics. http://infoisland.org/drupal/reference/SL_ready_ref/Guide_to_SL_basics

Kay, J and Fitzgerald, S. (2008) Second Life in Education http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/ (wiki with useful information for educators and students, and information on the authors’ own projects – they are Australian educators)

Kemp, J (Ed) (2008) Second Life Education Wiki: SimTeach http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Life_Education_Wiki
There are further resources linked from these e.g. at http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/secondliferesources

Kirriemuir, J. (2007 & 2008) Snapshot reports of UK universities’ activities in Second Life. http://www.eduserv.org.uk/foundation/studies/slsnapshots and photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/silversprite/sets/72157603982005324/

SLED events: a calendar for Second Life events for educators http://sledevents.blogspot.com/

Blogs
Second Life Library blog http://infoisland.org/
Beth’s Second Life http://bethssecondlife.blogspot.com/ (one of the pioneer educators, who leaches literature)
Adventures of Yoshikawa http://adventuresofyoshikawa.blogspot.com/ (Sheila Yoshikawa/ Webber’s blog)
Artsplace SL http://artfossett.blogspot.com/ (Andy Powell of Eduserv)

Discussion lists
Secondlife http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/SECONDLIFE.html (UK discussion list)
Second Life Educators List (SLED). https://lists.secondlife.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/educators (Very high volume discussion list, but is an invaluable resource) Various groups on Facebook including Second Life Librarians

Videos
Infolit iSchool
Metaverse TV. (2008) Out and about: interview with Sheila Yoshikawa. http://www.metaversetv.blip.tv/#745449

Libraries
Draxtordespres. (2007) Alliance Library System Second Life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MazAoWCKPU
Rikomatic. (2006) Tour of info island. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTQkzfz5osQ
Rowanfair (2007) SL Libraries - Info Insland Archipelago Tour. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8v3TZethQ0
Sirexkat. (2007) Murdoch Uni Library gets a Second Life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiH7dkOVaLc
srharris19 (2008) Avatars: what should I be today. http://youtube.com/watch?v=7Hk3uiZy6zA (mostly pictures of librarians and information professionals)

Education
Crkeesey. (2007) Ohio University Second Life Campus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFuNFRie8wA&feature=PlayList&p=96D577D877929F91&index=3
Holymeatballs (2008) NY1 on Global Kids in Second Life Jan, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxm-BaCcBJc (TV news report on the “Global kids” initiative on the teen grid of SL)
MaryAnnCLT (2007) Educational uses of Second Life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOFU9oUF2HA
Perplexity Peccable. (2007) Science Learning Opportunities in Second Life. http://youtube.com/watch?v=EfsSGBraUhc
Secondhealth (2007) Second Health: Polyclinic Tour. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu-QNFLD1mg
SLmerryman. (2008) English Village in Second Life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwHrjS-ENec
TessaLCooper (2007) The Nutrition Game: A Day of Food Choices http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLhNNYRJwJ4

General
Robbie Dingo (2007) Watch the World(s). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxVDVggLqsA&feature=PlayList&p=96D577D877929F91&index=2
SLSilver (2006) Second Life: Get One http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxj8RTW4ev4&feature=PlayList&p=96D577D877929F91&index=1

SL TV stations
Second Life Cable Network http://slcn.tv/
Metaverse TV http://www.metaverse-tv.com/

The blog of Sheila Yoshikawa on her adventures in Second Life. This may be very thrilling. Or possibly not.