Giving Second Life ™ a Second Chance: How the Virtual World Became Part of MY PPLN
by Nancy Sharoff
What this article is NOT about: the research about the benefits/educational applications/pitfalls/instructional impact/media hype about Second Life ™. You can look that up using your favorite search engine. What this article IS about: how a teacher came to use a virtual world as part of her PPLN (Personal/Professional Learning Network) and how you can get started as well.
How did it all begin? Two years ago I began to notice talk in the blogs and in educational periodicals about Second Life ™. Being someone who likes to be in the front of the line when it comes to trying all things ‘tech-y’ I decided to investigate. Before I go further, let me just share a few things about myself. I *heart* tech (so much so, that for my birthday one year my husband bought me an external hard drive instead of a piece of jewelry). Yet as much as I love tech, I am not a gamer (my last attempt was at PacMan on a Commodore 64), I don’t text message on cell phones (though NECC 2008 may have changed that habit), and multitasking is not one of my strong points (thank you John Medina for validating this in ‘Brain Rules’). So there I am. I’ve created an account, figured out a name for my avatar, have entered Second Life ™, and find myself on Orientation Island (back then there was only one). I must now move my avatar with the arrow keys, conquer tasks at various stations (how to chat, how to move an object, etc.), fend off other avatars who keep bumping into me, look at my screen to see what is being said, and taking in, well let’s just put this in a PG-13 way – avatars who were ‘enhanced’. After 15 minutes I was literally running away from my computer screaming as I exited the program.
Fast forward to February 2007. I am at the Google Teacher Academy in New York. I hear talk about Second Life ™ and my colleagues encourage me to give it a second chance. I did. Why? Because this time I had people on the other side waiting to guide me.
My life is busy. In fact, I outlined this article on a digital voice recorder on my drive in to work. My blog reader regularly tops 500 posts a day. I belong to many professional organizations, including ISTE and Discovery Educator Network. I joined a number of Nings. And with my network of Google Certified Teachers I have access to a growing cadre of innovative educators from around the world. Why would I want to add to my PPLN?
I have read many posts on the subject of PPLNs, some describing how to create one, others on how to nurture one, and yet others on the characteristics of a PPLN. What I have yet to run across is the KEY ingredient that keeps one invested in one’s own PPLN. The ‘aha’ moment came to me at 1:30 a.m. as I awoke from a sleep induced by literally crashing into bed at 4:30 p.m. As I lay tossing and turning, wondering how long the batteries on my hand-held Solitaire game would last, my mind began to think of all the things I needed to accomplish this week. I then toyed with the idea of going into the office/loft and check out the latest on Twitter…and then it ‘hit’ me – my PPLN doesn’t only provide me with answers when I encounter problems, it doesn’t only provide me with a technical support system (much needed in rural New England), it isn’t only about the informal relationships, what it’s REALLY about – what keeps me invested in my PPLN – is that it makes me ‘reach’, it makes me try things and do things I might not otherwise try/do, it ‘forces the envelope’ so to speak.
Second Life has allowed me to attend workshops by presenters whom I would not be able to meet in real life due to distances. I have attended ISTE’s Tuesday Speaker Series, Discovery Educator Network’s Wednesday Workshops, and others across the various educational sims. I have also had the opportunity to present in Second Life which in turn has allowed me to develop and refine skills and strategies that I use for my presentations in real life. I have been able to ‘see’ new possibilities and reflect on how I can apply those visions to real life.
I’ve joined a number of PPLNs over the past year and I was thinking about what made me stay in some and leave others. Those in which I stayed all had the same KEY ingredient – they kept me engaged, they made me look at situations from different perspectives. I was not just a passive, receptive learner in theses PPLNs, but rather I took the knowledge shared, the suggestions, the URLs, and with the support I knew I could rely on, I ventured forth. And yes, sometimes the path led me into Second Life ™.
Enough about me, let’s work on you and getting you up and running in Second Life and involved with educational groups. The first thing you will need to do is set up an account and download the application to your computer. Educators should enter through a pilot education portal. Visit http://secondlifegrid.net/slfe/education-use-virtual-world where ISTE has created a new account creation page with Linden Lab. You will be asked some basic information, but the most critical is the choosing of your avatar’s name. You create your first name, but your last name is one you will have to choose from a pre-populated list. For your first name (which, yes, just might already be taken when combined with your choice of last name) you need to keep in mind choosing something that is manageable in terms of typing. I have known many an avatar whose first name is just too long to bother typing into a chat window, so their name has been abbreviated to either a couple of initials or some derivative of their name, for example, ‘WinthtropDavis1840’ is known as ‘WD-40’. Once your account has been created, download the Second Life ™ application and you are on your way.
Second Life ™ is restricted to those 18 years of age and older. That said, you will be using the Main Grid in Second Life ™ (as opposed to the Teen Grid which is for those aged 13 to 18) primarily for your own PPLN. Just as they say ‘Vegas Never Sleeps’, neither does Second Life. You will have opportunities to meet colleagues from around the world, collaborate with peers, attend workshops, and share resources 24/7.
As you meet new people in Second Life you will add to your collection of groups to join, events to attend, and avatars to collaborate with, but until then what should you do? Do a search for two locations – ISTE and Discovery Educator Network. The first result for each search will be a link that will teleport you to their respective headquarters. There you will find information about upcoming events at each venue (ISTE has a Tuesday Speaker Series and Discovery Educator Network has a Wednesday Workshop series) and you will often find either ISTE Docents or DEN Guides staffing the location to help answer any questions you might have. ISTE’s Tuesday Speaker Series has featured Bernajean Porter, Tim Magner, and Sarah Robbins, just to name a few. Discovery Educator Network Wednesday Workshops has offered sessions on Visual Literacy, Powering Up Your Personal Learning Network, and Understanding Your Students iBrains with many more planned for 2009. Aside from the Tuesday Speaker Series and the Wednesday Workshops, be sure to do a search for ASL (Academy of Second Life ™) which offers workshops on every aspect of Second Life ™ you can think of, from basic building to running a successful business in Second Life ™.
So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Second Life ™ and start expanding your PPLN. And when you’re inworld, make sure to send me, Laelia Laval, an instant message. I would love to ‘offer you friendship’ and help you make connections that will make your experiences ‘out of this – virtual – world’!
Nancy Sharoff has taught 2nd grade, 4th grade, and 5th/6th grade Math, and currently is the K-4 Technology Facilitator in Ellenville, New York. In addition to a K-12 setting, Nancy has developed and taught various workshops and graduate level courses in the areas of educational technology, reading, and visual literacy. She has presented at local, state, national, and virtual levels. She is a Google Certified Teacher and a Discovery STAR Educator. When she's not delving into all things digital in real life, you can find her in Second Life as Laelia Laval.
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