Wicked Cool Slideshare Shows!

I am an impulse shopper. Ask Daliah, Eloise, and Neveah (hereafter called "Desi and the Pussycats")...I bought a covered wagon yesterday...ya know...just in case we decide to recreate Laura Ingalls books.

Anywho.

I went over to Slideshare to upload slides from my Friday presentation on Web 2.0 applications. Before leaving, I found these wicked cool slideshare shows.

Desi's List of Wicked Cool Slideshare Shows

Catching Up 2.0

Adey immed me...when are you going to blog again? Sheesh....I just blogged...omg...over a MONTH ago! Okay. you can all take away gold stars. I am a sucky blog hostess. I will offer to you my lame excuses, and hope they measure up :-)

Desi''s Top 10 Reason for blog Neglect

Reason 1: GiddyUp Man Started School
Whomever said that life gets easier AFTER the kids start school LIED. As Super-Mom, I now have to worry about school fundraisers, the Marathon, chaperoning the wee trip to the Pumpkin farm, and making sure my son's unruly hair stays down. Then there is remembering that he likes to go 15 minutes early so that he can run around in a big circle with his bestest friends in the entire world...the whole pre-K class. After school, it is mandatory that we go to the park or the nature trail or to Aunt Kerri's house or for Ice Cream or to the Comic Book Store. Sharpie Boy, the accomplice, has been in the IU for his third year now, and they don't have fundraisers. He also passes out from exhaustion once he his strapped into his car seat. If he could talk, he would say, "Mama, lets go home and chill." I can read his mind; it's one of the 7 super secret powers we get at Motherhood School. It isn't as handy as the MAMA VISION we are all given upon graduation (yes, I DO know who sent that blue matchbox down the toilet...MAMA Vision...it is everywhere). Anyway, Sharpie Boy spoiled me...but Giddy Up Man has been waiting his whole wee life to go to school and then drive me crazy with post-academic adventures. His Tae Kwon Do class, of course, has hit parade season. And, as he rode the float today tossing Smarties at the free world, the parents huffed and puffed behind it for 5 miles, I thought that my next book would be titled "The Fat Girls Guide to Gittin' Skinny." Strategy 1: Follow the Tae Kwon Do Cart in a Halloween parade.

Reason 2: The Boss shifted to Middles and the Phillies Made the Playoffs (but lost it all)
It is no secret to anyone living in a 30 mile radius that The Boss likes Baseball and NASCAR. On the day I delivered GiddyUp Man, The Boss watched NASCAR in my hospital room. Feeling lucky that he wasn't castrated after 24 hours of labor resulting in a C-Section, he felt entitled to watch the race and then suggested we name the boy after the winning driver. If I coulda moved...
So, the Phillies, his all time favorite team. made it to the Superbowl or whatever it is they get to before they get to the World Series, and we had to watch every game. Tivo was simply not good enough. On the days he had to work, many a cardiac patient was tortured as he oggled their TV screens. When the Philles lost in the playoffs, he moped around like a sad puppy. GiddyUp Man added insult to injury by chanting "Hey Ho Baseball is OVER!!!!!" ( I secretly sang along).

Reason 3: My Virtual Life has Picked Up
Not wanting to be bored this semester, I decided to take all of my classes into Second Life. That adds up to over 200 students. I can only THANK ME LUCKY STARS for the Dream Team: Eloise, Daliah, and my newest addition, an intern named Neveah. Desi and the Pussycats are always busy inworld, but we are working on some AWESOME projects. The students in Progressive Era Literature have built this incredible environment that looks like a theme park. There is a working train, a sweat shop disguised as a Fun House, and a working carousel, Ferris wheel, and cups ride. They students have added lots of great information about literature and social history of the era, and - truly - have gone above and beyond. Many thanks to Eloise Pasteur for her tireless volunteerism in building for the students. Check it out at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Finger%20Lakes%20Island/218/46/276
The rest of my students are involved with the World University Exchange (see Reason 4).

Reason 4: World University Exchange
What happens when you take a boat load of faculty from around the world and all their students and stick them into Second Life in a virtual Survivor-meets-College activity? Life gets busy! The WUE is an AWESOME project, but it involves daily work and planning. Check it out at http://worlduniversityexchange.wikispaces.com/ As far as we know, this is the largest multi-national virtual project for college students in SL.

Reason 5: People Invite me to Chat
There are so few people in this area doing virtual worlds and Web 2.0 stuff that I get lots of requests to speak. Meeting new people is lots of fun, and it is really rewarding to see people have their AH HA moments right there in front of you. There are lots of opportunities..some near...some far...but I love to travel, so there you have it.

Reason 6: Texas Tech
In the midst of pulling toys out of the loo and correcting the nine BILLIONTH comma splice, I am also taking a class toward that coveted PhD. At the rate I am going, I ought to have it when I am 97. Anywho, the class is interesting, but there is loads of reading, writing, massaging, weeping, and writing some more. The class is a theory one, and my self-diagnosed ADD kicks in when I have to sit still enough to read anything with the word "Thus" in it. It is a lot of work, but it is useful, and I am learning a lot. Plus, it helps to BE a student while teaching students.

Reason 7: Minnie May
The problem with being the family pushover is that when someone finds a stray kitty, it is high time to pick up the phone and call Aunt Beth for a rescue recon mission. I got a call to rescue a cat in the sister-in-law's basement at her apartment building, and after two hours of coaxing, this little sweet kitty emerged and was rescued. Little sweet kitty has claws and teeth of sharpened steel, though. Sadly, she must have been abused and, to make life even more interesting, no one taught her how to keep her paws crossed, so it looks like I am going to be a Grandma. So, since this kitty is not-so-friendly, we have her on the sun porch, and I spend too much time feeding, talking, and trying not to get sliced up by her. I have been giving her mothering lessons and trying to get her to notice that not all humans are jerks.

Reason 8: Addiction to Pogo
The first step in dealing with addiction is admitting the weakness. So, there you have it, I am addicted to Pogo. Specifically, I am addicted to games called Lottso, Zuma, and the Wedding Planner. I am also addicted to the game WeBoggle (thanks, Jean-Claude) and to Tetris on GiddyUp Man's Advanced Color GameBoy. I used to think best when driving, but then a bunch of jerks were given driving licenses, so now I think whilst matching wee little shapes and shooting colored balls into oblivion.

Reason 9: It's Fall
I love Autumn. It is my favorite season, and I like to be out among the leaves and not in front of my laptop. So, lame as it is, I am out and about and not in and glued to my keyboard.

Reason 10: Grading Papers
Believe it or not, I read every assignment twice before grading it. This takes up a lot of time and energy (let alone mood). As papers swing in, I try to have them back within a week. So, grading takes up a large chunk of time.

I realize these are all lame excuses, but it least paints a picture of why I am sooooo busy :-) But, I promise to repent and write faithfully :-)

Professor, Avatar, Student, Writer, Editor, Wife, Mother, Daughter, Sister, and Friend

It is wicked exciting to see your name in print; it is even MORE wicked exciting to see it in the Chronicle of Higher Ed. Andrea Foster did a nice job of writing up a ditty about some awesome work going on in Second Life. Balancing out the article from last week, I thought Andrea did a nice balance...she didn't sugar coat life in virtual space, but she didn't slam dunk our efforts.

What strikes me about the article, though, isn't about what she wrote, but about who she wrote about. These folks are some of the most talented folk around, and they are super busy. I know - for a fact - that Intellagirl must be busy; she has THREE wee ones, and I merely have two. All of the people represented there are super crazy busy, but all of them take their time to do an excellent job in this life and their virtual lives.

So, that lead me to think of the roles we all play. In real life, I am NERD...FT professor to students at a community college and PT professor to students at an awesome 4-year private Catholic college. NERD is a nickname that the honors students tapped me with a few years back, and is, evidently, easier to say than Professor Ritter-Guth. In this role, I am zany, unconventional, fair, but tough.

In real life, I am a student in the Tech Comm and Rhet doctoral program at Texas Tech University. I read volumes, write volumes, and discuss all sorts of theory. I am not as zany or unconventional, but I do my best and act like a nerd.

In real life, I am a writer. Mostly, I blog, but I do other sorts of academic research and writing, and I am working on creative things that aren't public. I also write lots of notes to teachers, therapists, and government officials. I write lists that I lose. I write cards that I forget to send.

In real life, I edit things. Most recently, I accepted a guest co-editorship for Innovate on a special issue about Second Life. I also do reviews and other editing work for journals and student conferences.

But the best roles, are the ones that don't involve work. While I am not so domestic, and only roughly know the makings of an oven, I enjoy my role as Mom. It helps that my kids are wicked cool and creative, but still at an age where Mommy is awesome, and all other girls have cooties. My husband tells me that this Mama worship will end soon, and I have seen my five year old eyeing up Daisy Duke...so, it must be true. In the mail today, two packages arrived...one with 50 Spider man toothbrushes and the other with 25 Superman spinny toothbrushes. We have to give them out, you seem in the impending birthday bags...because we simply can't let our friends wander around with yucky breath. In the washing machine is the purple sheet used to create the Bat Cave in the living room...the polar bear flashlight has fresh batteries, and the AWESOME new batman costumes are hanging near the door - waiting for their owners to slip into them for another day of fighting the bad guys and saving the day.

In my email bin are recipes from my mother who is convinced that I can still learn domesticity, an email from my brother begging me to bid on a paintball part for his birthday, and a bunch of emails from my best friend from college who is having her very first baby (do I have any advice? Yes..get the epidural...screw Lamaze...bathe alone now as you never will again...remove all sharpies from the house...lock the toilet...invest in Magic Erasers).

So, we all play many roles...we mix and match, and some of us run to virtual worlds to do all that we can there that we can't in real life. The most important thing, of course, is to love all your roles and realities.

Busasaurus

Students in Tech writing talked about the use of virtual worlds in technical fields; we ended class with a visit to IBM's codestation Labyrinth.



My kids have these tapes - you remember them....the Magic School Bus? Well, Sharpie Boy has an addiction to the Busasaurus tape. We have watched it at least 568 times (exactly). Fortunately, his fearless accomplice, Giddy-Up Man, is currently addicted to Smallville, and we ALL know how cute Bo Duke is at any age.

Sadly, you can not watch both Smallville and Busasaurus at the exact same time. Even though we have multiple DVD players, everyone has to be in the exact same room. Generally, this is the same room I am in.

So, as I was stopping WW3 in my living room today, I was thinking about manners in virtual worlds. I am amazed by how many people do things in SL that they would never ever ever do in real life. For example, in real life, no one would ever walk into your classroom and start chatting about your shoes. Now, I only wear sandals or hiking boots, so maybe they WOULD talk about my shoes if they were at all interesting, but I doubt they would do it in my classroom. In real life, no one gets bent outta shape when you say, "sorry, I gotta run - I have class in 3 seconds." In virtual worlds, some folks think you are blowing them off when you say that. As a person with 6 classes inworld and 176 students, I can honestly say that if I say "I'm in class" or "I'm with students" - It is very likely true. It doesn't mean that the person isn't important; it just means that we have to catch up at a different time. Finally, no one would run up to me at the start of a class, tell me 10000 important things and then say, ok, gotta run. I have no way to focus on that kind of information. Email or a notecard is WAY WAY WAY better :-)

Anywho. In stopping the fight over Busasaurus and Smallville, I had some sort of epiphany. I am not sure what...but something...something creeping up and saying that in addition to everything else my students need to learn in SL, they need to learn manners. Manners are transcendent.




As we remember the vicitims of 9-11, please visit Liam Kanno's memorial inworld (search for 911 Memorial). May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in Peace and rise in Glory.

BLOG NEGLECT!

OMG! I am guilty of blog neglect!!!!

The last few weeks have been a landslide of various things, so please accept my dear apologies for leaving you hanging around for new news.

The most important of the "busies" happened yesterday, as my little dude, dressed like Superman, walked into his first day of school. He, of course, was not at all sentimental. I, however, had two cameras and 3 boxes of Kleenex. Things were pretty bad when his wee little self poised himself in the Car-Seat-of-Wonder (we know it works, but none of us truly understands how - though we ALL adore the cup holders) and said quite frankly, "Mom. I am going to be just fine; you just wait and see. I promise...I will come home to eat." So, off he went in his cape to save the day.

All of the other Moms (the good Moms), waited at the door looking perfect; they were wearing cute pickly matched coordinates, glorious up-dos, and purses. They were all dressed up for the Biggest Day of The Child's Life. I, on the other hand, was wearing a ripped up Harley Davidson t-shirt, scrapply jeans, and sandals (the only thing a woman can do when she cries is wash the kitchen floor on her hands and feet...it is true). Smelling like lemon and sponges and something none of us should try to identify, I smiled weakly as the other Mommies got out their cameras and tissue boxes. Praise be! There is justice in the world.

Giddyup Man (this is his own creation and designated super hero name) loved (LOVED) school, and brought home his very first picture...a picture of a gun, 2 police cars and the General Lee. Written nicely above it, the teacher wrote "The Duke Boys chasing the bad guys and being chased by the cops." Ah, my boy...his first act of brilliance involved the Dukes of Hazzard and a pistol. I need to talk to The Boss about educational programming. He even got homework....the beauty of private school...to which he profoundly said "Mom. I am 5. I simply DON'T DO homework." Ye gads. It starts already.

In any case, I think I will need to buy MORE tissues for when he starts Kindergarten next year (oh yeah - I DID mention that this was just preschool, right???).

So, this major event comes at the end of a rush of things. Starting with the SLCC inworld education conference (which was a blast), moving toward the start of classes (and 176 immersed SL students), and now this...life has been hectic.

I am sad to report that in the time since I last wrote I have lost some RL friends (Jeanne and Mr. Gloss), and an SL friend, Billy Hartmann. I have also parted ways with my SL partner, a wonderful and kind man that deserves the world. As he moves on his SL, I wish him all the very best of both worlds. We parted with a beautiful friendship and some excellent memories, and it was with a sad heart that I watched him teleport away. We both knew it was coming; education is now my major focus in SL. But, he was with me back in the Days of Noob. And, as I remember him stumbling in from the snow wearing, um, well, a Noobie outfit, I remember fondly what it was like when SL was about exploration. I hope that my students, all 176 of them, find amazing friends like him.

Choosing her OWN Adventure

On Wednesday night, the Contemporary Fiction class at DeSales wrapped up. I am always a bit sad when classes end, and this group, my little literary pioneers, are special. They were my first "fully immersed" class. Other classes did unique lessons in SL but didn't spend EVERY lesson there.



I was a bit worried. I have to admit. The builds were going up...but the content just wasn't there. The students knew that they were being graded on content....they HAD to know...I only nagged them like a billion times.

And then...like magic....the content starting popping up...here and there...and then everywhere. Desperate calls from the library on main campus from one student...she was sitting with the librarian....where do we go next? Another student sending up flair guns to my Gmail...PLEASE help me figure out how to cite this and such....

All of a sudden...it was working....

On the first night of class, Vodka4 Babii, a former Miller Light Girl and Senior in Pharma Marketing, announced that she hated reading and there was not one single thing I could do to make her like it. No offense, of course...

On the last night of class, there she stood in RL and in SL, next to her Choose Your Own Adventure maze, prouder than spit when she won the 50 USD Visa Cash Card for the People's Choice Award. Her maze taught the concepts of the genre, cited her sources, and used the design to immerse the audience.

Overall, the 8 week class went well; I learned a lot from the students, and - hopefully- they learned a thing or two, as well.

MANY MANY MANY thanks to Marcius Downing and Finger Lakes Community College for hosting our student plots this summer, and MANY MANY MANY thanks to Eloise Pasteur for donating her time as a builder/scripter for the students. Also, many thanks to Daliah Carter for helping students get dressed in bling and introducing them to SL social life and to Laura Nicosia for her help with the Gloria Naylor novels.

Three Boys and a Bad Kitty

Right, that title could be taken any number of ways....but, no, it is not an adult film...

I just returned home from conducting a two-day training at Indiana University of PA. The 25 or so faculty were incredibly refreshing! They were enthusiastic, kind, funny, and FUN!!!!! Watermelon launching, anvil attacks, and a Princess sim-crashing moon bounce were all mixed into creating immersive interactive content.

The NMC studio session is going GREAT, as well. The students are engaging, refreshing, funny, and FUN!!!!

It must be a disease....virtual "students" (with PhDs) and real "students" (with PhDs) all engaging an environment at various levels....and being incredibly AWESOME!

Many thanks to the amazing Komputer Merlin (RL Lloyd Oynet) and his lovely wife, the Goddess Estelle, for their warm hospitality (and the world's MOST incredible wine, book, and cottage collections). Many thanks to DrPartridge Allen (RL Al Partridge), his hilarious wife, Mary, and their wicked cool daughter, Lilly, for entertaining me with hilarious stories about STD costumes, steak, and peas. Honest to Pete, that was the best dinner party I have been to in a long time!!!

So....

I returned home after a daunting 6 hour journey through Eastern PA construction (if they would just build the damn roads RIGHT in the first place - - we wouldn't have to fix them every 4 years). The boys....oh, dear....well, it is no wonder I don't travel much.

My husband seems to think that cheese is as good a meal as any...so the first thing DD asked for was food..."Mommy, can you feed me?" Now, The Boss-Man assures me that he did, in fact, feed them hot dogs and cereal, and gave them milk with their cookies, all 50000 that they ate, so, they got wheat AND dairy....

The boys - all three of them - were shirtless. This is common with the boss, but, generally speaking, we like to dress the children, ya know, just in case they have to go outside to fetch a wayward power ranger. The Boss says that they didn't want to wear shirts and that they were practicing being REAL men....confirmation from the Mother-in-Law suggests that they did, in fact, have shirts on when she left an hour before...so, the manly hour must be after 7 but before 9 (or when I walked in and said, ummmmm, clothing?? I was only gone TWO days; certainly the laundry isn't ALL dirty?)

And then there is the Bad Kitty...and her brothers, Bert and Mikey, who were circling the food dish and meowing as if they had been starved for a month. The cat dshes (all 16 of them) were all on the floor, so that proves that - at some point - they were given food. Evidently, they invited friends because the math doesn't work out (3 cats - wet food twice a day...I fed them before I left Sunday, so that SHOULD equal 9 dishes - MAYBE 12 if he had fed them tonight...but he admits that he forgot...which is incredible to believe since you can't walk in our kitchen without the beck and call of the BK...). Of course, the Iams dispenser was full, but the Princess Bad Kitty prefers wet to anything she has to crunch upon....

and then there are the dishes....I got them paper products because Moms know that boys and bad kitties don't do dishes...and, well, the pack stayed closed, but my sink was full...of cereal bowls and cheese plates....

I would like some tools from SL....a teleporter and the ability to send back dirty dishes. Oh, and mute....

No more BOOKS????

I almost had a heart attack when I received Jeremy Hunsicker's email to SLed....some dude invented a Literature Factory. WOOT!!!! Then I read the fine print...this word-bot-thinger CREATES literature...without ANY human input.

Um.

Hmmmm...


Someone best wake up Walt Whitman, cuz' I think he is dying all over again...


So, I met Ciemaar Flintoff inworld and took a tour of the Literature Factory. It is actually VERY cool....it DOES work without human interaction, but the POINT is that the literature isn't all that good. What make Literature worthwhile to love?

SOUL...

and machines ain't got no soul...

BUT, it does show that language CAN use the same sort of computational structure as numbers...and that is a worthwhile lesson.

I was very impressed by Ciemaar Flintoff and the Literature Factory. Literature Alive! in Second Life endorses the project, as it makes students think about the HEART of writing...is it words on a page...or is about soul?

Wanna check it out yerself? The grand opening is Saturday 4pm to 6pm SLT at the Literature Factory at Kula 2 (189,9,25). Check out the wee bloggy, too: http://channel3b.wordpress.com

Summer Lovin'

What I did on my summer vacation:

1. Taught my kids Green Grow the Rushes, Ho!, London Bridge, and Kumasaka.

2. Left hot dogs on the grill for 3 hours.

3. Lost my cell phone 6 times (not yet recovered it).

4. Watched Superman Returns 3000 times.

5. Watched Batman Returns 3000 times.

6. Bought my son a tuxedo so he could be a Blues Brother.

7. Got chased down by the beach police for walking with my husband along the shore line (um, how did I know that it was illegal after 11? Ok, there were signs. But, I sincerely didn't see them. cough).

8. Watched fireworks from the beach with my kids, and then built a three foot Volcano in the night sand. Then played every stupid boardwalk game out there. Had to carry the 3 foot Nemo for at least 17 miles back to the hotel.

9. Collected 75000000000 (so it seemed when they fell out in the van) soda tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey.

10. Tried Escargot.

11. Counted Dolphins with my kids on a morning excursion

12. Fetched my sandal from the same water when the 4 year old "Curious Jugi" tossed it overboard.

13. Converted the entire living room into the BatCave.

14. Rescued my son from the clenches of an angry goose.

15. Created Ubieye JuJuFruit (the family Neopet)

16. Built Hell with Eloise

17. Watched the sunrise in my bathrobe at a restore Victorian B and B (after setting of the fire alarm 3 times from the shower)

18. Watched Curious George 20000 times

19. Watched I Love Toy Trains 60000000 times.

20. Got a Slip and Slide Injury

21. Hired my niece to be a Mommy's Helper

22. Co-Chaired the BPE conference

23. Flew 6 hours to San Francisco

24. Beat 6 guys at poker at the paint ball trip (yeah - told ya so)

25. Enrolled my son in Tai Kwon Do

25. Played pinball

26. Picked cherries with my kids

27. Met lots of great new people in SL

28. Met some Lindens

29. Found my junior high diary - laughed so hard, I snorted

30. Fell in love with teaching (again)

The DNA Test

Right. So. I was always the annoying girl in the car whipping out the latest Cosmo quiz and grilling everyone in the car about their personal manifestas.

This one wasn't my fault. Blame Chris Hambly. He posted his scores on Facebook; he is an Advocating Leader. He turned me on to this DNA quizzer thing, and I now know that I am a:



You can read all about me and my personality on the graduation page.

Desi's got Dumbo

Today was one of those days where I was jumping for joy, but trying not to jump too-too much because I gotta double ear infection from swimming at the lake.

For one, I am getting ready to send an avatar over to the Teen Grid. This is soooo exciting because it is a chance to build literary content over there. The down side is that I have to have her packed and ready for Tuesday, and that means I seriously need to get cracking. If you have good educational content, and wish to share it with the teen grid, please send it with full permissions to Literature Binder inworld. Send an im, too, so I can give you credit for being super duper awesome.

Second, we heard word today that Dr. Nancy Trun's National Science Foundation grant aimed at working with the feral cat population was approved. Why do I care? Well, part of the grant supports the work of my students in technical writing. More importantly, though, this says that the NSF is looking at science and writing and are not opposed to funding projects that match writers with scientists. What can be more awesome that that? Well, working with Nancy! She is smart, funny, and TOTALLY addicted to cats (just like that OTHER scientist I love working with down there at Drexel (yeah, Jean-Claude - you). It is amazing to be surrounded by super smart people all of the time. Some get all nervous or threatened, but, truly, it is an inspiration.

Third, Eloise and I will be running a workshop for the up and coming NMC Symposium on Creativity. Working with Elo is always great, but I am reminded of our similar passion when we put together resources. Eloise is a scientist in RL and and educator, so she has the right combination of uber know-how. Watching her work is like sitting on the ledge watching Gaia.

Fourth, the land at the Educator's Co Op is finally open for visitors! I had my student there today and guests. It was exciting. It is called Desi and Eloise's Educational Chop Shop. More exciting? Laura Nicosia is getting a parcel there, too. When she and I get our literary brains a-flowing, just watch out! Yet another brilliant brain to be around! My SL is gooooood!

Fifth, I will be meeting with a Chronicle reporter next week to chat about SL. Of course, I am still all over glowing about USA Today and the Philadelphia Inquirer. It is exciting to get positive press for educators in SL. It is a little weird, though, as I always think that THIS brilliant or THAT brilliant person should also be mentioned.

Sixth, Adrian has built a wicked cool flying saucer, and I want a day to fly around in it using voice chat. I need to hear him say mauve incorrectly.

Finally, I am ready to launch out the Literary V-Canon project; this works in conjunction with the Literary Holodeck project, but is meant to be a gathering of all literature landmarks in SL. It is exciting to go around and search. But, more exciting, is the opportunity to meet MORE brilliant people!!!

So - in all, it was a good day. My throbbing ear drums and the antibiotics are making me a little icky feeling. My ears appear normal looking (so says the boss), but feel like Dumbo swapped heads with me. Went to the gentle and kind Dr. Glenn Kaye, who, despite an icky profession of looking up noses all day, is an interesting dude. He put this loooonnnnnng thinger in each ear - and - I SWEAR - it was attached to a Hoover power sucker on the other end. In any case, he was cleaning something brilliant out of there.

Immersion and Other Twice Told Tales

The Literature Alive! world is spinning at uber speed. Daily, requests pour in for literary builds (Moby Dick was the request yesterday). If I had all the free land in SL, I still don't think we could find room for all the builds! What an awesome challenge!

Of course, it would be wicked cool if folks built their own literary builds. But, most folks can't build or script (big hint, Eloise is the Goddess in these areas - - I am her mere servant). And most folks don't have Daliah-the-Former-Student as Executive Lucky Chair Gift and Freebie Grabber (AKA Executive Assistant).

Literature Alive! is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing open access literary content. Eloise and Daliah work for scraps (literally) and volunteer their time. Every donation goes to land rentals and texture uploads.

But, you have heard this all before :-)

Why do it? Why bother?

The other day, I met with some nay sayers. They don't think literature should be digitized. Literature can not be immersive. Literature comes from books, stays in books, and people like me will ruin reading.

Quite the contrary, I argued. The use of immersive technology FOSTERS a lifelong love of reading. Examples? Look at Vodka - she hates reading, but remembered loving Choose Your Own Adventure Books. She is creating a virtual CYOA book in SL based on the THREE she is reading (she only needed one). Take Fifelc - she hated the technology on the first day...she now has a car submerged in water to highlight her short story.

There are no right answers when it comes to teaching. There are some wrong answers, but I am not qualified to know what those are (wellll.....). I just know that the classes I remember most from those blurry days of undergraduatehood are the ones that had experiential activities.

So, Twice Told Tales.... Literature Alive! isn't just about teaching my students; it is open access and is meant to be a grid wide community service. Fostering a life long love of reading is the goal....and we are getting there...one prim at a time.

Literature Alive! in USA Today

What a busy day!

The day started with a lovely brekkie with my good friend. I have decided that I am at the age when cranberry juice, while seemingly delicious, should be avoided (especially before a presentation). This is a shame, as, yum, cranberry juice is totally yummy. Perhaps I overdosed on it LAST summer when I spent a week in Cranberry, PA. They serve it with everything, and, well, I just could't say no. It is true; I am a cranberriholic.

Anywho; after I met with my 12 step, just say NO to cranberry committee, I headed over to the Lehigh Valley Technology in the Classroom Symposium. I had 45 minutes to wow the masses on the uses of Second Life in Education. You can see the slides over at SlideShare.

I returned home to find that my proposal to the Open Education 2007 conference in Utah was accepted. I think I am out of travel funds (sheesh Louise, I KNOW I am outta funds), so I am going to see if they will allow me to present virtually (that IS the bennie of Virtual Worlds, eh?).

Well, after a class discussion on Ursula LeGuin's depressing but telling short story, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, I came home to find this link waiting for me from USA Today. OF COURSE I sent it to my mother, father, neighbor, neighbor's dog walker, and neighbor's dog walker's great aunt Rosie. It isn't EVERY day that Schnecksville filters its way to a national paper!

It was a great day. Now, I need to go dream about all those cranberries I can't squash ad drink up :)

Wonkies

The last few days in SL have been wonky. I had never heard that term before SL, but I am pretty sure there is no other word that can describe life in SL on a hack-day.

It started fairly innocent...the hair and shoes went up my butt. Generally, this says "clean cache." I do all that, relog, and poof, Desi is Barbie once again. 5 minutes later, I go to grab a steaming hot cup of tea, double bagged, 2 glorious Splenda, and I return to a message "you have been logged out by an administrator."

OH NO!!!! They FINALLY discovered that my inventory, near 37,000 objects, is causing the lag in SL and are revoking my fishing privileges! WHAT TO DO!?

A quick phone call from Daliah, then my next door neighbor, and then a Gchat from Elo confirms that, no, indeed, it is a grid-wide problem. Whew. I hadn't unpacked the glamour-pink thigh high studded boots yet. Whew.

We finally get in, but I am stuck at home. Can't TP anywhere. So I sit (above) on the couch thingy and do other things. I read my daily dose of blogs, SL Insider, and SLNN. I played some games with the kids on our newly released vintage Atari while listening to old Rolling Stones 45s on my newly released record player thinger-ma-bob. I explained the meaning of life and did an in-depth comparative study with my 5 year old convincing him the Cocoa Pebbles are way better than Cocoa Puffs. Folded laundry, fixed dinner, and then played 3 rounds of Texas Hold Em (NOT in SL...NOT in SL....NOT in SL). Returned to see Desi sitting on her pillow thingy, and, lo, she STILL couldn't move. Decided to use the down time to sort my Grid Crashing inventory before Phillip Linden revoked my SLibrary card. No go. I had neither an inventory nor friends to complain about it to...

Weekends in SL are wonky. There just ain't no better way to say it!

Jail Break!

In a very exciting twist of events, I got locked up in the Relay for Life Slammer! Avatars donated Linden to place me in the slammer, and then shelled out more to meet the 50,000 Linden bail. I crashed shortly after the bail was met.

SL was laggy, wouldn't allow linden transfers, locked up the friends lists, and locked me on a island I never heard of... My shoes went south to take shelter in my pixelated tookas, my hair reverted to newbie-mullet, and nothing worked, no matter how hard I tried.

Now, it may serve some to get angry about all that, but, lo, it is cause for celebration!

It has long been my philosophy that people will choose GOOD content over porn if it is there. This weekend is an excellent example.

In the short time I was there, the Relay-for-Life Jail cells made about 100,000 Linden. There was no room at the Inn, and no avatars could teleport in. People had to send linden so that the bail could be posted. What a WONDERFUL problem to have!!!!

Now, admittedly, I have a vested interest. My Dad is one year in remission. So, Relay for Life is important on a few levels. But, ore than that, it was an event that pulled together most of the grid for an excellent cause. All over the grid, events were held to raise money and awareness.

Tasia Tonic reports that her group raised 130,000 Linden at a concert earlier that night. All over the grid, people were donating money to help others. They were participating in events like concerts, walks, and contests to help others. They were using SL technology to raise awareness and money about a RL killer. They were celebrating living heroes and remembering the fallen heroes.

I can live with getting stuck on some unknown island, and I can live with newbie hair and my shoes up my butt. I would take a million days of that if it means that people will continue to use SL to help others struggling for REAL hair, REAL movement, REAL life.

Many congratulations to the organizers of the RFL activities. Many thanks to Larry Pixel (Larry Johnson) and NMC for letting me get locked up. Many thanks to all of the avatars that helped bail me out: Gus Plisskin, Happyholly Grigges, Eloise Pasteur, JJ Drinkwater, Desmond Shang, Tasia Tonic, Vernox Myng, Lilleth Bailey, Anastacia Austinmer, Zak Carter, Larry Pixel, and the many others that donated that I didn't know.

People will pick good content if it is there to choose. The RFL campaign in an excellent example!!!!

Back in the V-Saddle

Is that Hell in your pocket, or are you unhappy to see me?

I was on vacation these last few days - well a conf-acation (first two days conference; second two days vacationing). I had a nice break from SL as I played about 60000 boardwalk games with my boys, ate way tooooooo much butta, and raced around in the Grand Prix family fun car.

On Sunday, I returned home and Eloise and I packed up the Inferno/Linden Hills project. It was like ripping apart my heart (not to be overly dramatic or anything). But, it was a dream of mine to build something like that (thank GOD for the building/scripting skills of Miss Eloise...!!!), and I am ever-sooo-appreciative of NMC for hosting it for 10 days. You can read about it at the Lit Alive! Blog.

Lots of fun things always happen when I go away. In my home town of oh-little-town-of-Bethlehem, there was a wickedly cool gas price war between the WaWa and Hess gas stations. The lines caused accidents; the people scurried in the streets! But, lo, I was playing a mean game of beach volleyball with the tykes and missed the fist fights.

The Educators Co-Op launched its program (and yes, of COURSE, I secured a spot - it is like the ideal college dorm!!!!). NMC launched their poster sessions from their RL conference, and my good puppy pal, CDB, just launched a new NMC video jukebox

Adrian and I found out where all the random prims were hiding at our private residence and the Renaissance Classroom had to be packed up while the prim hoggers were identified (it is being moved to the Herot Hall Classroom).

SLNN hired a new reporter, a teacher, to be the reporter for educational news. He is funny, but BRUTALLY honest (much like Eloise who writes for SL Insider). It is good to see someone dedicated to educational news (besides the goddess Eloise and that wonderful Milosun, who runs the Picayune) in a community-wide paper.

ok, I think that is all the news on this front, more later - I have to do about 18 loads of beach laundry....woot!

Go to Hell (visit, then come back)

At faculty convocation, when all my peer faculty peeps talk about their vacations and various landscaping mishaps, it will no doubt be asked:

So....Beth...what did YOU do this summer?

Oh, my friend Eloise and I built Hell in 48 hours; you?

The Dante's Inferno classroom is actually not the prime focus of our recent build. The Linden Hills Classroom is TRULY the focus (if you have not read it, stop here, tarry not, go to Amazon, buy Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor). The students at DeSales University are reading the novel as part of their contemporary fiction course as part of an author study on Naylor. Literature Alive! created all of her novels in SL except her newest (1996). But, if you click on my profile, you can visit the Men and Women of Brewster Place, Bailey's Cafe, and Mama
Day.

Linden Hills (ironic name, indeed) is based on the concept of the Inferno. Each layer leads down to Luther Nedeed's house at the center of the bottom. I have taught this novel for the last 10 years, and have never been able to communicate the links to the Inferno effectively. Students did not have a foundation in Dante to understand the connections. In SL, students are able to SEE the connections, and are "getting it."

Residents can also participate by adding suggestions for content. All of the Literature Alive! builds are intended for community use, and the Inferno, in the 48 hours it has been open, has attracted about 200 visitors.

Eloise Pasteur did an amazing job terraforming, and the display, itself, is low prim. Larry Pixel at NMC has been so kind to loan the space for the class (the actual RL class), but it can't stay there. The problem isn't prim (believe it or not, Hell weighs in at about 350 prims). The problem is size....it is a full sim. Sadly, most folks dont have a spare sim to donate. So, if you know anyone with some extra space (like, an island), send em my way :-)

And, so, on Wednesday night, the Inferno will get placed in my inventory. How many people can say, "Hell will be in my pocket."

Virtual Rights

If a tree falls in Second Life, is it still a tree?

That question seems somewhat pointless when another tree is so easy to rez. But, what happens when Joe-the-neighbor steals the design for Suzie's Falling Tree?

Are ideas fantasy? Are ideas in a virtual world fantastical? The court system will have to decide!

Frank Taney, an amazingly nice man in real life and sharp as a tack about intellectual property and Second Life, is representing a client dealing with these issues. His client's sex-bed was copied and reproduced and sold by some other chap. His client is suing for infringement of intellectual property violations.

Now, let's pretend for a moment we are not talking about virtual sex-beds. Let's think, for example, that we are talking about textbooks. If I create a textbook for use in Second Life, and someone comes along, steals the content but changes the color, and then sells it as his or her own, is that an infringement of my rights? Or, is it automatically assumed that anything created in SL is part of the public domain? Well, certainly, THAT can't be the rule or IBM and Nissan would high tail it outta there.

While I don't necessarily care about sex-beds in Second Life (nor could I even think of one person that makes or sells them), I think this issue has a HUGE impact on all of us...educators...RL businesses...teensy shop owners...

In the CNBC Video, the opposing lawyer says that virtual worlds are fantasy lands and, therefore, this intellectual property issue should be dealt with virtually; the weight of the ruling only applying within the virtual world.

But, YE GADS! If that is the truth, we are reducing ideas to fantasy!!! I don't know about you, but my academic work in SL is not fantasy...it is TRULY my RL work prepared for RL students. While I share the work through Creative Commons, I do retain attribution rights. Placing it in a virtual world does not change the IDEA of the content, just the format of it.

If a ruling like this passes, professional game designers are screwed out of their ideas, since their ideas will be reduced to fantasy.

The interesting question here is whether or not the NEW sex bed is an improved version of the OLD sex bed or a duplication. If I make a BETTER textbook than one previous (using my own words and examples), is THAT IDEA (creating a textbook for teaching English in SL) the intellectual property or the content WITHIN the book?

Hmmmm....going to chew on this idea....any thoughts?

Dumpster Diving and The Literature Alive! Team: Woot!

Daliah was a student of mine in the Spring semester, and now is a professional shopper for Literature Alive! Her unofficial title is Daliah, Queen of the Freebies. I give her a list of things I need for the classrooms, pack her up with some Linden, she runs off to those magical landmarks of hers, and POOF! Dynamic Daliah scores (and brings me change!).



In our spare time (what little I have anymore, har har), we go lucky chair hunting (which is hard seeing as our names both start with a D). We also like to go dumpster diving!

We then repack the freebies and pass them out at the School Store in our Lucky Chairs or Daliah loads them into the dumpster, garbage can, or (in the gothic classroom) coffin. You can stop in anytime, right click, harvest, and grab freebie goodies. She has some sort of system of folders and more folders and categories and whatnot. But, only Daliah understands the mechanisms of her job.

Eloise, that Goddess of Building and Scripting, creates most of the builds for Literature Alive! I give her my ideas, tell her what I would like to see, and she either makes it or laughs at me. Neoznet Watts, the other builder for Literature Alive!, laughs along with her.

Most of the content is done by me, but, recently, I brought on LauraMaria as a content developer. She and I share a passion for teaching, and we often teach many of the same texts. We also have about 5 other volunteers that pitch in to help on various projects.

As Literature Alive! continues to grow, we will need more land and more volunteers. Ideally, we might find an actual sponsor that will foot the bills and provide stipends to some of the workers and pay for texture uploads. But, there is always tomorrow :-)

Mama Day, Gloria Naylor, and Teaching Novels in Second Life

The DeSales Contemporary Fiction class spent its last night working on the novel Mama Day by Gloria Naylor. It should be noted that Gloria Naylor is my favorite American writer; her use of classical literature, the intertwining of novels through characterization, setting, attention to details, language....really, we could be here all night.

Wednesday, we move on to explore Linden Hills - another novel by Naylor - that is based off the premise of Dante's Inferno. Both will be built in Second Life, and students will, again, work to create content.

So....how did it go?

Well, I learned A LOT about teaching literature inworld. Students need basic directions and minimal distractions, and, since the classes are open to anyone and everyone, that can be kind of rough. Also, it is important to remember that the students can not be graded on the use of technology; the writing is what counts.

But what did they think?

Here are their anonymous assessments - unedited, passed through Eloise, and compiled.

The story relates to some mysteries which I don't get it. The fact
Mama Day tells George go to the chicken coop & he does that is
unrealistic. I also don't like the ending since it's sad. Good people
should have happy life. Sacrifice something needs to be returned by
something else. Even it's not perfect, I like its beginning when
Cocoa has interview with George. She shows her view while choosing
working & family. I believe in her situation, family is more important.

--------

I enjoyed the reading. I have always been interested in life in the
southern states for some reason and this gave me a new perspective on
that.

The dialogue was difficult to follow at times because of my
unfamiliarity with it. Once I was more familiar it was much easier
though. I did have to re-read many sections because of this.

Gloria Naylor has a way of bringing a mental picture into the head of
the reader. I was able to visualize the homes of Abigail and Miranda
including the chicken coup. It was easy to visualize George playing
cards with Dr. Buzzard and the others because of this ability to
illustrate.

This is a book I would enjoy reading again. I would rank it up with
"To Kill A Mockingbird" which is one of my favorites

------

The book, Mama Day, is a good book. It was interesting and every
character brought something different to the story. You can
definitely understand the way they live through the technology we use
in class. I think recreating the scenes was a good thing. You
understand the characters a little more and can get a visual in your
mind about the characters and what they might look like. The only
thing negative I have to say is that there are too many people in
second life while we are trying to understand the assignments.
Sometimes those people can be distracting and take away from the
learning experience. It can get confusing and frustrating.

----

I enjoyed recreating the scenes from Mama Day. It was neat to see
what others saw when they read the book. Making fiction reality in a
way. The time frame seemed to pass by quickly almost to the point of
not enough time to truly get all of the detail it deserves. This
is a good way to learn fiction.

----

So far I have enjoyed our projects for Mama Day, a little bit
confusing at times, but fun none the less. This platform allows us to
get involved in the book a bit more. The only problem the I thought
of was we learned about these projects after we read the book so we
had to go back and try to pick out info that we could find. If
informed of them before reading we could of made notes and proper
documentation, rather then going back skimming for info. All and all
for what its worth its a fun time.

------

I think at first it was very difficult and I really didn't enjoy it
because I was having a hard time grasping everything. but I'm
starting to understand it better and I'm liking the projects were
doing.I enjoyed tonight class using more of our imagination then
anything and I also liked the class that we had to decorate our
houses. the only one I didn't enjoy was when we had all the people
from everywhere join in with us on the activities because I was really
lost and had no idea what was going on. i enjoy it better when it's
our little group from class. but I also didnt enjoy the book so
maybe that's why I didn't really want to get into the assignments.

-----

When we first started working on Second life i was not a big fan. I
am not comfortable with the virtual environment, but as we continued
to work with it, i am becoming more comfortable. I enjoyed the
decorating of the house and i really enjoyed the gravestones. To be
honest i did not think i would enjoy this, but it really makes you
think about the book more. At least when i read the next book i will
observe more of the detail and really think about what i am reading.
The activities have been fun and meaningful, and i am sure that when i
become even more familiar with Second life i will see how this all
comes together.

------

Sl for mama day was difficult because of the technology and not
understanding that technology. I think that SL could be a great
teaching tool if you know what you're doing. It actually made trying
to learn more about the story and characters more difficult because
we were too busy trying to learn SL and what to do in it and when to
do it.

Tommy Taney, Remembered

Many moons ago, I wrote about how RL emotions happen in SL. Whether it be love, spite, jealousy, fear...those emotions affect us in RL.

On Thursday, a SL friend died. He was young, smart, funny, kind, generous, loving, witty, and energetic. In SL, he could dance, played a mean game of poker, and was a blast. to be around. In RL, he was all of those things, but he had muscular dystrophy and was wheel chair bound.

Tommy and I met during my research phase; he was one of only a handful of people that knew I was doing research on gender discourse; he was a guy you could trust. It turned out that we live only miles from each other. We became Skype friends and, well, he taught me some tricks on how to play SL poker!

It is sometime hard to remember that real people operate these avatars. Tommy's kind heart and his sense of humor kept him on the friends list past those 30 days. I spoke to him before he got really sick, and he never mentioned it. He didn't' want to be know that way in SL.

I tried to think of a way to remember him, but fell short. I knew he would be mad if we sat around and cried (though I did), and would rather we celebrate the life he did have and the fun he could have in Second Life. so I gathered up some friends, gave them all linden money, whipped out a blackjack table, and we played to celebrate his life.

They only gave him 2 years to live at birth. He lived 25 more. He lived fully in RL and fully in SL. He will be missed in all realities.

Desi Stockton's Tips for Classroom Management

Well, ok, I have no tips to share. I am usually busy helping students rez things and balance text on lap and keyboard in hand...

But, this week - my BEST student (excellent writer, diligent, yadda yadda) was being all GRIEFY is class! OMG!

How does a professor respond? Um, in Real Life class, I said "Joe...cut it out" and in open chat I said "Joe...cut it out" and in IM I said "cut it out." He didn't cut it out. Any advice out there?

A few days ago, I hosted some trainings on ethical use of Flickr, YouTube, and Vixy. In one class, I had an ACADEMIC being absolutely disruptive (acting like it was a social affair and not an actual class). I immed her (nicely) and said "cut it out" and, guess what, she didn't.

In thinking about it and chatting with friends, they suggested I charge for these lessons to prevent people from being moronic. But, charging for education is against the mission of Literature Alive! So, I am not doing that. Another friend suggested I use the EJECT button, but, I don't own any of my land, you see, so I don't have those yummy powers.

So....what to do? Someone send xanax or a tazer? How do others handle this?

The Literary Holodeck Project

Attending SL Views 5 was inspirational.

BUT....what is MORE inspirational are the people flooding in to work on the Literary Holodeck Project.

The LHP is an open access/open content Holodeck that produces scenes from literature. While Laura Nicosia and I generated the root list, many folks have added on to the list and others have volunteered to build the scenes listed. The main list can be found on the Literature Alive! site. Many thanks to Eloise Pasteur for her generous donation of time, and to George Kurtz for the donation of land for the workshop!

What makes it most brilliant is represented in this conversation at 5AM my time with Aaron Griffiths/Isa Goodman (all permissions granted for posting). Aaron has volunteered to build the set for Elie Wiesel's Night in SL. This build will be part of the holodeck and can be used by anyone:

[2:21] Isa Goodman: Heya
[2:21] You: Hi Isa!
[2:21] You: excellent barbed wire
[2:22] Isa Goodman: Just the fence so far... modelled off photographs
[2:22] Isa Goodman: and the sign the same
[2:22] Isa Goodman: Will have the brickbuilding in some form
[2:22] Isa Goodman: with the block numers on the door
[2:23] Isa Goodman: Any block number specific to the book?
[2:23] You: there were a few
[2:23] You: but let me grab this for you
[2:23] You: gimme one sec
[2:23] Isa Goodman: I know 10 was Mengele
[2:23] You: yes
[2:26] You: here is one but this speaks more to the feeling of it
[2:26] You: "Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never."
[2:28] Isa Goodman: Got it
[2:29] You: so, my hope is to create more of a general barracks
[2:29] You: place for standing
[2:29] You: then have the students fill in details
[2:29] You: with the text
[2:29] Isa Goodman: k
[2:29] You: but, there will be some things that we add
[2:29] You: before we pack it up
[2:30] Isa Goodman: k
[2:30] Isa Goodman: Like?
[2:31] You: well, we will imbed some things we absolutely want them to have
[2:32] You: like journal articles
[2:32] Isa Goodman: of course
[2:32] You: definitions
[2:32] You: resources
[2:32] Isa Goodman: At the moment I'm just creating props based on photos
[2:32] Isa Goodman: Then we can assewmble them
[2:32] You: that is the best we can do
[2:33] You: take pics of Auschwitz
[2:33] Isa Goodman: Very much a stage setting
[2:33] You: and then try to create them here
[2:33] You: exactly
[2:33] Isa Goodman: YEs... evoke the feeling of more
[2:33] Isa Goodman: and the flag pole you mentioned
[2:34] You: well, i think that might be hard in SL
[2:34] You: i am very drawn by the image of roll call
[2:34] You: having to run out
[2:34] You: stand
[2:34] You: wait
[2:34] You: for people not to call you human
[2:34] You: just to make you less human than you were
[2:35] You: before deciding if you could live ot die one more day
[2:35] Isa Goodman: Yes
[2:35] You: that strikes me
[2:35] You: I dont know how to make that here
[2:35] Isa Goodman: Particle systems and fade in ranks... is possible
[2:35] You: lol
[2:36] You: well, you speak Greek to me
[2:36] You: see, I have the back end passion
[2:36] You: but not the skill
[2:36] Isa Goodman: and to myself... but we can get some effects that will engage the students
[2:36] Isa Goodman: and give more credence to the display
[2:36] You: Eloise is up on all that too
[2:36] You: yes
[2:36] You: when they come here
[2:36] You: they should feel that they have made the choice to live
[2:37] You: and to live is a choice they can make
[2:37] You: but not all humans - over time- have had equal choices in that regard
[2:37] Isa Goodman: Yes
[2:37] Isa Goodman: k
[2:37] Isa Goodman: ... a big ask... but I'm sure we can pll it off
[2:37] Desideria Stockton thinks you didnt want to get me blabbering on
[2:37] Isa Goodman: *smiles*
[2:37] You: well it is hard
[2:38] You: the challenge is to pull off emotion with content
[2:38] Isa Goodman: I'm up for it *grins*
[2:38] You: anyone can build a cinderblock barrack
[2:38] Isa Goodman: yes
[2:38] You: but, to build in the piece that will TEACH people to be humane by capturing the human spirit, tugging it, and letting it fly again - THAT is a test for an artist
[2:39] Isa Goodman: lol
[2:39] Isa Goodman: Then we'll see wont we *smiles*
[2:39] You: lol
[2:39] You: How do you feel about doing this?
[2:39] Isa Goodman: This is not the hohlodeck btw... just a sandbox
[2:40] Isa Goodman: Fine... though I go elvish for comfort
[2:40] You: nah, tis ok
[2:40] You: lol
[2:40] Isa Goodman: Is a dark subject
[2:40] You: yes
[2:40] You: very
[2:40] You: BUT
[2:40] You: there is light
[2:40] You: he survived to tell a story
[2:40] You: that story teaches us to love
[2:41] You: so, yes, the darkest hours bring about the most brilliant lights
[2:41] Isa Goodman: as always
[2:41] You: you are capturing the dark
[2:41] You: but the students weave it to light
[2:41] Isa Goodman: Yes... that will be their task
[2:42] Isa Goodman: OK.. so thats it so far... will call you with progress later on in the week
[2:42] You: May I post a record of this chat?
[2:42] Isa Goodman: Yeah sure
[2:42] You: What you are doing here goes to the heart of all of these projects
[2:42] You: taking words
[2:42] You: any random words
[2:42] You: and making them meaningful
[2:43] You: in a 3D place it might be a little harder
[2:43] You: in 2D we could show a movie
[2:43] You: but you have to make the movie
[2:43] Isa Goodman: *grins*... thats the fun of it
[2:43] You: and capture the dark side of human nature
[2:43] You: to allow for the light side to emerge
[2:43] Isa Goodman: well not that bit
[2:43] Isa Goodman: lol
[2:44] Isa Goodman: but is all part of the process
[2:44] You: has it changed you at all?
[2:44] You: or affected you?
[2:44] Isa Goodman: As I've said... I wear elvish a lot... not my normal attire but feel the need for an opposite to this
[2:45] Isa Goodman: if that makes sense
[2:45] You: yes
[2:45] You: that makes perfect sense
[2:45] Isa Goodman: OK
[2:45] Isa Goodman: did to me... hehe
[2:45] You: ok, go ahead and create
[2:45] You: I am off to find the perfect tools for Drexel
[2:45] Isa Goodman: OK... and thx for the opportunity
[2:46] Isa Goodman: k
[2:46] You: thank you for volunteering!
[2:46] You: that is the beauty of this enterprise
[2:46] You: the collaboration
[2:46] Isa Goodman: yes... k... later
[2:46] Isa Goodman: *smiles*
[2:46] You: and - truly- the community creates t he content

The Imagination Station

As some of you know, I just returned from SL Views 5 in San Francisco. This is a gathering of various residents from different communities in SL that provide feedback to LL about SL. It was an incredible experience and one of the top 10 coolest things I have ever done (sorry, child birth still out ranks it, lol).

Now, before we all grab tea, settle in, and peruse this post for juicy inside details, I have to preface these comments by saying, sorry, there are no juicy details. I gave my word that I wouldn't share the details, and I am sticking to it - since our word really is the only thing we have in Second Life to give. I won't even tell my RL husband who doesn't even have an SL account. I take it THAT seriously.

Having said that, you might wonder - well, Desi, WHY are you writing a post that is much ado about nothing?

Simple.

There is some criticism of the SL views program by persons that are clearly jealous about not being asked to participate. In reality, the SL views program is structured so that there are voices from all over the grid. This is far more practical than having a town hall or forums. SL Views is not about elitism, it is really an opportunity for people to advocate for their areas of interest in SL. I can honestly say that not one person in this team was self serving; everyone advocated generously and carefully for their representative populations. It was truly educational to learn about these other communities, as 99% of my time inworld is spent in engaging in educational adventures.

So, the questions you might have are ones that I can't answer. SLed mailing list REALLY is the best place to get ideas and advice for education. Shared collaboration is truly the best route toward knowledge. Philip Linden is a REALLY cool guy and very down to earth, normal, and funny. He truly has a heart of gold. That may sound all Velveeta, but it is true. He is a nice guy. It makes me WANT to make SL an even better place knowing that its creator isn't all about the money, but is truly passionate about the human condition. The Lindens, likewise, share that passion. They are funny, kind, wear cool shoes, and are brilliant. I don't mean that in the typical wishy-washy way (ah, such and who is a brilliant chap). These people are over-the-edge brilliant.

The other residents (some have been "outed" elsewhere, but I won't get into all that here), are just an amazing mix of people. Hats off to LL for their choices in creating this team. We were all very different, didn't always agree about things, but our passion for SL rooted us in a common bond. The group was diverse but dynamic, and these folks are some of the COOLEST and SMARTEST people I have ever met (in all realities).

To sum up, SL Views 5 was an honor, and it is among the coolest things I have ever done. But, what made it cool wasn't just the opportunity to go, but the opportunity to meet other people that live on the side of creativity and passion.

The experience can be summed up in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.