Teach42isLive Blog for "Creating a Personal Learning Network in Second Life"
posted on June 30, 2008 at 01:30PM
156 responses
to this plurk.
June 30, 2008 at 13:31Teach42saysIntroductions, both in RL and SL.
June 30, 2008 at 13:31Teach42saysSlides rotating through with screenshots from DEN in SL. Adds flavor particularly for people who haven't been in world yet.
June 30, 2008 at 13:32Teach42saysFred is starting off. Didn't realize that responding to the DEN in SL blog post was his first blog comment. He hasn't looked back at all.
June 30, 2008 at 13:32GingerTPLCasksyou're live blogging *and* streaming? Admiration overflows...
June 30, 2008 at 13:32Teach42saysSee Fred's DEN blog for a song a day (original music you have the rights to use).
June 30, 2008 at 13:32Teach42saysTalking history of the DEN in SL. Points out that the group feels they're successful because of their diversity.
June 30, 2008 at 13:33Teach42saysI hadn't really thought about it, but having so many backgrounds and people spread throughout the country has probably helped.
June 30, 2008 at 13:33Teach42saysThey have to model what they're preaching in order to communicate.
June 30, 2008 at 13:34Teach42saysI'm looking at some of the images and realizing how much I'm missing. They've done SO many events in there.
June 30, 2008 at 13:34Teach42saysMembership is close to 600 in SL! I do wonder how many are active, but that's really difficult to track.
June 30, 2008 at 13:34Teach42says600 members in not quite even a full year yet.
June 30, 2008 at 13:35Teach42saysEvery Wednesday they have workshops, from learning skills in SL to real life classroom strategies.
June 30, 2008 at 13:35Teach42saysSwitching over to Lori now.
June 30, 2008 at 13:35Teach42saysMost of the SL LC are meeting for the first time here at NECC.
June 30, 2008 at 13:36Teach42saysLori met Cel 45 minutes ago for the first time.
June 30, 2008 at 13:36Teach42saysDigital natives? Close personal virtual friendships.
June 30, 2008 at 13:37Teach42saysSecond Life is like NECC all year long. It's fun. It's learning, it's networking, but it's also social.
June 30, 2008 at 13:37Teach42saysmakes learning fun. It has added so much to her professional AND personal learning network.
June 30, 2008 at 13:37Teach42saysYou don't often hear people distinguishing between those two. That needs some exploring. Where does personal end and professional begin?
June 30, 2008 at 13:38Teach42saysNewbie event one week from Wed.
June 30, 2008 at 13:39Teach42saysThey bring in speakers every week. Lori is one of the events chair and learning to plan successful events has been a challenge.
June 30, 2008 at 13:39Teach42saysThey do a mix of both social events as well as PD events. Differentiating Instruction, developing your PLN.
June 30, 2008 at 13:39Teach42saysThey've hosted 65 formal events (planned) along with hundreds of informal, impromptu events.
June 30, 2008 at 13:40Teach42saysAll of their events are posted in the DEN HQ in SL, they send out notices and they also have their blog.
June 30, 2008 at 13:40Teach42saysNancy is on her feet and already bringing down the house.
June 30, 2008 at 13:41Teach42saysOut from behind the table and working the room. For those of you not here, she has her trademark purple hair on in RL today.
June 30, 2008 at 13:41Teach42saysFor the record, she really does do a great job on the SL blog. Considering how active they are, it's quite a task.
June 30, 2008 at 13:42Teach42saysBeing part of the DEN in SL has really taught her the real meaning of networking and how powerful it is.
June 30, 2008 at 13:42Teach42saysThere's also a wiki.
June 30, 2008 at 13:44Teach42saysBeth is up. Not many people that she works with in RL do her job and she doesn't have much in the way of support. Has found that her SL...
June 30, 2008 at 13:44Teach42saysnetwork has become her support system, her friends, her colleagues.
June 30, 2008 at 13:44Teach42saysTried SL for the first time, spent a few hours, said it wasn't worth her time. Quit for 3 months.
June 30, 2008 at 13:45Teach42saysDecided that she owed it to her teachers to explore it fully and give it a real shot. So she told herself that she'd give herself a month
June 30, 2008 at 13:45Teach42saysthat was over a year ago and now she's hooked.
June 30, 2008 at 13:45Teach42saysHer second life experiences have been long conversations with other people. Now things like Twitter are more meaningful because
June 30, 2008 at 13:46Teach42saysshe has a deeper and richer relationship with the people in her network.
June 30, 2008 at 13:46Teach42saysShe has created a bulletin board above her desk with photos of the avatars/rl pics of the people in her network.
June 30, 2008 at 13:47Teach42saysWhen RL people at her school ask her a question that she sends out to her network,she shows people WHO answered it for them so they see the
June 30, 2008 at 13:47Teach42saysOver 1200 participants at DEN events in SL
June 30, 2008 at 13:48Teach42saysShe's also talking about the guides. Honestly, that's an intiative I'm really impressed with. Really helps people get their start.
June 30, 2008 at 13:48Teach42saysJessie Marie (Anne Truger is up)
June 30, 2008 at 13:49Teach42saysShe's also up from the desk and moving around.
June 30, 2008 at 13:49Teach42saysHer PLN has always been NECC. That along with her state conference (IL-TCE) were always her professional development and that's it.
June 30, 2008 at 13:50Teach42saysShe asked how many people popped in to SL and then left it for months. Lots of hands (mine included).
June 30, 2008 at 13:50Teach42saysAlso quite a few who are in world, but still on orientation island.
June 30, 2008 at 13:50cobannonMe too. Can you hand me a virtual business card?
June 30, 2008 at 13:51Teach42saysHeh, she does point out the DOES have a real life. But that she has both personal and professional needs.
June 30, 2008 at 13:51Teach42says"If Kathy Shcrock and Will Richardson think it's worth exploring, maybe I should be checking it out."
June 30, 2008 at 13:52Teach42saysVirtual Environments WILL be a big deal in education for a variety of students. And when that bus arrives, she wants to be on it, not
June 30, 2008 at 13:53Teach42saysShe doesn't think that SL is necessarily the RIGHT solution for SL. She wouldn't bring her kids into SL. But she thinks there WILL be
June 30, 2008 at 13:53Teach42saysa 'right' solution for Education. And when it arrive, she'll know how to 'walk and fly'. GREAT way to put it.
June 30, 2008 at 13:53Teach42saysTotally agree with that.
June 30, 2008 at 13:53Teach42saysShe isn't on the teen grid and wouldn't feel comfortable bringing kids in there right now. But she sees the potential.
June 30, 2008 at 13:54Teach42saysTalking about the educational excursion. Sharing her experiences with the DEN in general.
June 30, 2008 at 13:55Teach42saysWow, she get so immersed in things like SL that she felt she was getting too immersed. She bought a traffic light that times her usage.
June 30, 2008 at 13:55Teach42saysWhen it turns yellow, time to start saying goodbye, when it turns red, time to log off.
June 30, 2008 at 13:55Teach42saysWow. That's a pretty neat confession. I could probably use that, I have some issues with things like that.
June 30, 2008 at 13:56Teach42saysBTW, totally packed room. Literally, every seat filled and then about 20 standing in the back before they closed the door.
June 30, 2008 at 13:56Teach42saysSharing the "Orange book" They reccomend "A beginners Guide to Second Life" and "the Second Life for Dummies" book.
June 30, 2008 at 13:57Teach42saysACK. They're going to hate me! I had Coni bring a couple prizes to give away but forgot to grab them!
June 30, 2008 at 13:57Teach42saysStory of building the DEN HQ in Second Life.
June 30, 2008 at 13:57Teach42saysSteep learning curve when you're getting started, when you start building, when you start exploring.
June 30, 2008 at 13:57Teach42saysShe recommends that you always start off with a buddy.
June 30, 2008 at 13:58kmulfordsaysOh, I need that traffic light for so many things in my life...
June 30, 2008 at 13:58cobannonWhat's the URL for the wiki?
June 30, 2008 at 13:58Teach42saysI couldn't agree more. I needed a helping hand when I was getting started. Don't even remember the persons name anymore....
June 30, 2008 at 13:58Teach42saysWish I did tho, would love to thank her.
June 30, 2008 at 13:59Teach42saysYou can join up to 25 'groups'
June 30, 2008 at 13:59Teach42saysDEN HQ was recently rebuilt, handing mic over to Elaine.
June 30, 2008 at 14:00Teach42saysShe started off very skeptical. Joined initially to prove why she doesn't really need Second Life.
June 30, 2008 at 14:00Teach42says(that sounds kinda like alot of newbies to Plurk)
June 30, 2008 at 14:00Teach42saysHer first time chatting "Face to Face" with someone in Brazil, made her realize just how powerful a tool this could be.
June 30, 2008 at 14:01Teach42saysElaine is the building co-chair. When she began, nobody knew anything. Totally true. First 20 minutes of the first meeting were learning
June 30, 2008 at 14:01Teach42sayshow to sit down in the chairs!
June 30, 2008 at 14:01Teach42saysWhen she became the building co-chair for the group, she had just joined 3 days ago. Didn't know how to fly, sit or change clothes!
June 30, 2008 at 14:02Teach42saysElaine and Anne both threatened to quit at different times
June 30, 2008 at 14:02Teach42saysA few months ago, they tore down the old building (deleted it) and give it a new look.
June 30, 2008 at 14:03Teach42saysNew building is a really sleek looking tower, sort of like the space needle of sorts. Also have a great amphitheater for presenting.
June 30, 2008 at 14:03Teach42saysJust flashed a shot of Claudia Linden in the DEN HQ.
June 30, 2008 at 14:03Teach42saysHer favorite thing to do in SL is to present in SL the same sorts of things that she'd present in RL.
June 30, 2008 at 14:04Teach42saysShe does presentations on digital storytelling, beth has done differentiated instruction using Streaming, and so on...
June 30, 2008 at 14:04Teach42saysCall out for presenters. If anyone is interested in presenting at the DEN HQ, contact them. Experience not required.
June 30, 2008 at 14:05Teach42says"You can attend professional development sessions in SL.... while you're in your pajamas."
June 30, 2008 at 14:05Teach42saysNow switching to a video.
June 30, 2008 at 14:05Teach42saysThe Adventures of LostTeacher Haystack and the Super DEN Guide.
June 30, 2008 at 14:05Teach42saysDigital story about a new teacher. VERY cool!
June 30, 2008 at 14:06Teach42says"What do you do with this HUGe torch?" LOL
June 30, 2008 at 14:06Teach42saysI'm looking around right now and there are definitely some people who are IN sl while watching the panel. Kudos to ISTE for bandwidth wifi
June 30, 2008 at 14:07Teach42saysThis is hilarious. I want the SuperDEN Guide skin.
June 30, 2008 at 14:10Teach42saysDisclaimer is a nice touch.
June 30, 2008 at 14:11Teach42saysGlad they mentioned the photos in the HQ. If you go to the DEN HQ in SL, there are photos of each of the LC members. If they have
June 30, 2008 at 14:11Teach42saysa green border (I think its green), it means they're onlikne. Click on it and they'll get an IM that you want some help.
June 30, 2008 at 14:11Teach42saysThere's an ISTE SL Lounge.
June 30, 2008 at 14:12Teach42saysTuesday at 3pm there's a meet and greet there. Rip encourages all DEN (and non-DEN members) to meet over there and make a RL-SL connection
June 30, 2008 at 14:12Teach42saysGroup is Discovery Educator Network.
June 30, 2008 at 14:13Teach42saysWho hosts this stuff?
June 30, 2008 at 14:13Teach42saysLinden Labs owns Second Life, so technically they host everything. But people can purchase/rent land, from islands to condos.
June 30, 2008 at 14:13Teach42saysWhat's the cost for SL?
June 30, 2008 at 14:14Teach42saysYou can join it for free. It can be more interesting if you put in some money. You purchase Linden dollars with real dollars.
June 30, 2008 at 14:14Teach42says10 people who are in attendance will be winning some Lindens.
June 30, 2008 at 14:15Teach42saysDuring NECC, there's a raffle ball. If there are people hanging out in at the DEN in HQ right now, every 11 minutes, someone will win 20$
June 30, 2008 at 14:15Teach42saysCost for building?
June 30, 2008 at 14:16Teach42saysCan be huge, but doesn't have to be. We aren't spending much in DEN.
June 30, 2008 at 14:16Teach42saysWarlick asks how you find your communities.
June 30, 2008 at 14:17Teach42saysGo to the search box and type in Educator. That took Fred right to ISTE. Once he got there, he met a Docent and got started.
June 30, 2008 at 14:17Teach42saysBack to raffle ball, didn't know they were doing that. That's freakin' awesome.
June 30, 2008 at 14:18JackieBthanks for the streaming link.
June 30, 2008 at 14:18JackieB(and for living blogging this too)
June 30, 2008 at 14:19Teach42saysSLURL: Second Life URL. You do have to have SL installed on your computer (win/mac/linux)
June 30, 2008 at 14:19Teach42saysClick on a SLURL and it'll take you right to a location. DEN SLurl is on the wiki.
June 30, 2008 at 14:19Teach42saysCheck out all the events they've hosted in SL. p_big_eyed
June 30, 2008 at 14:20Teach42saysThat should ahve been
June 30, 2008 at 14:20Teach42saysIf you're on SL and chatting with them, you can right click on them to see what groups they're a member of.
June 30, 2008 at 14:20Teach42saysGuides can give you a folder of places you can go to and explore.
June 30, 2008 at 14:21Teach42saysGo to the playground, you'll find people who will help you here.
June 30, 2008 at 14:21Teach42saysAre there other virtual worlds besides Second Life? Why is SL better?
June 30, 2008 at 14:21Teach42saysAnswer seems to be that it isn't better. It's what works for them.
June 30, 2008 at 14:21Teach42saysProbably the largest, with the best possibility to expand your network. Like Twitter vs. Plurk
June 30, 2008 at 14:22Teach42saysIt happens to be the one to be at for right now. That may change at any time. Lots of virtual worlds.
June 30, 2008 at 14:22Teach42saysFor Anne, the reason that she went to SL was because ISTE is there, Will, Kathy, David, etc... If they are there, then there may be
June 30, 2008 at 14:23Teach42saysLinden Labs has employees who just work in Education.
June 30, 2008 at 14:23Teach42saysHaving an avatar allows Fred to be a little more outgoing than he is in RL.
June 30, 2008 at 14:23Teach42saysSecond life is not JUSt for education.
June 30, 2008 at 14:23Teach42says"Anything that can be done in RL can be done in SL"
June 30, 2008 at 14:24Teach42saysThere are definitely some not safe for school sections of SL.
June 30, 2008 at 14:24Teach42saysQ: There seems to be a pretty steep learning curve. If teachers don't see an immediate value to it, they won't jump in. What's the
June 30, 2008 at 14:25Teach42saysimmediate hook to draw them in?
June 30, 2008 at 14:25Teach42saysBeth has about 12 educators who are using SL. They started by doing in group classroom sessions, very hands on with people F2F. They
June 30, 2008 at 14:25Teach42sayshad to actually attend some events on their own to participate in the program. They attended from home.
June 30, 2008 at 14:26Teach42saysThey had to go to a specific event so they could see the value right from the beginning. Not just getting in and wandering.
June 30, 2008 at 14:26Teach42saysWandering around orientation island is not a good way to experience SL.
June 30, 2008 at 14:26Teach42saysGoing long, time for giveaways.
June 30, 2008 at 14:27Teach42saysSticky notes beneath the chairs for winners!