Besel & Mo

Still unsure what to do. Went to “Help Island Public”. Lots of people there - again! I had heard before that SL was largely abandoned - not so here. But it was very dark, which confused me since it was supposedly 9:30 a.m. It was then that I discovered that I could bring light into the world at the push or a button. The other avatars here were most colorful and eccentric - frankly, I felt a little bad and almost uncool in my sneakers, with my (unbranded) backpack etc.  When I tried to join a conversation I must’ve said something wrong because an avatar responded with: “Why don’t you STFU, noob.” (Since he was only 1 week old, I didn’t think I deserved the ‘noob’). 

So I buggered off to check if there was anything else to see here. As if to want to soothe my pain from having run into a verbal vandal, I was offered a free house! All I had to do to get it was click on the sign. Then: nothing. Only a friendly (!) receipt that I had been given the house. I was also given a notecard which I could open: it revealed that the house resided in my “inventory” which turned out to be this large filing space with a lot of stuff already inside, such as different outfits and a “Library” … not, however, of books, but of more free things many of which don’t make too much sense to me now but…I’m sure at some point they will. In fact, I used the rest of the afternoon to fill my already filled inventory up with many more “freebies” - I ended up setting fire to myself. 

mo

Just so you don’t think all I do is sit in my chair all day long watching TV. I do have admin tasks, you know. Of course, there’s always a little playing - like opening and closing the shades of my free (!) house which I got just because I joined SL. I don’t know if this is still possible - I’m less than 6 months old and already so many things have changed. Luckily, I’m not human so I’m not afraid of change. 

Anyways - just one more play thing, ok? Here’s a picture of my dancing snow queen…it’s animated and I’ve got a bit of a crush on her. She sits on top of a copy of “Eliza” the electronic psychiatrist whom I use when I feel like Marvin. 

My third picture today is a bird eye’s view of our little teaching area on the HWR islands. Not too much here yet and it does look like a fun fair. I don’t think the students think it’s a fun fair though but I’m not sure. Why should learning not be fun?

And lastly, here is an actual job I must do: a newbie student sent me an IM - an instant SL message - asking if he could visit our islands. After checking that he’s in fact enrolled at our school, I opened the menu for the group whose members are allowed to enter the island and added “Mo Rhys” to the list. He’s now a regular member of this group that I’m administering. Enough said. I’ve got the power.  

Mo can now teleport to the Region HWR Berlin if he wants to. 

besel

Finished the birthing process amounting to a stroll across the brand new welcome island which is not a tropical island anymore but instead a white mad-maxian thunderdome reminiscent of the world of Logan’s Run inside the dome… (I’m linking to the movie not the book because some of you may have seen this classic sci-fi movie)…at the end you stand in front of this wall of wonders with choices: go shopping - a place promisingly called “Le Look”; explore places - e.g. New York City (though wouldn’t that have to be New New York City?); or meet people. I opt for the latter because one location suggested is called “Morris“  and that seems a sign given my avatar name.

Upon arrival in Morris, I get messages from a helpful guy who invites me to Help Island and offers a number of items. It doesn’t seem to do any harm to accept them. Now, looking around in “Morris”, I see a lot of attractive people - most of them a taller than I am and better dressed. For now, I think I can stand looking like this - there’s even a sweetness in being a newbie without as much as 1 L$ in his pocket…also, I cannot figure “Morris” out. It seems to be a meeting place only and at this point I have no idea what to say to anyone. 

But before I can go anywhere else, my computer sounds a ring and the following message appears on the screen: “Your region is going down. You have been logged off.” … which makes me feel as if the virtual rug’s been pulled out from under me. The region takes me down with it. Luckily, I know I can log back in. My avatar, wherever it is, whatever it feels, is still there! I’ll bridge the enforced period of inactivity by reading up on the latest using the SL blogs, in particular on in-world learning.

mo

Turns out the virtual world is changing quite a bit after the introduction of the new SL viewer (nice quick start guide available online once you register as a new avatar!). I created a new avatar today - looking very unassuming, like a student with a bag pack in fact. Welcome Island has undergone major changes - overall, I find it much easier to negotiate and informative than I used to. The new students who will come to HWR Islands this fall, will tell. Thinking about creating a tutor avatar who’ll hang out on Welcome Island to guide new students through the first motions…gosh, I wish you could learn all about real life in “six easy steps”. 

mo

Earlier this summer, I built a chair and a table in Inge Qunhua’s class. Inge is a first-class, award-winning Danish designer of learning objects and virtual environments who also helps us with getting the virtual HWR off the ground. And here is what I’d like to do: I’d like to write regularly about what happens to me in Second Life®. And you know, if nothing much happens, then that’s worth reflecting on, too.

This is my “solution” for Tobias Würtz’ challenge: let whatever happens, happen, but not just. In our institutions of higher learning, in our offices and in our living rooms, we put way too much emphasis on control. Let’s put more emphasis on seeing and listening instead. That’s what I’ve built my chair (a so-called “sculpted prim”) for: to sit back, observe more closely and pay more attention without acting too soon too fast.

(The TV is not part of the solution. It’s part of the problem.)

besel