Second Life: Fun with Colleagues

So the UNC TLT conference is over. How does it end? It ended with a dance of course. The first year I was so curious. Why would you want to dress up and and take your avatar to a fake dance? The atmosphere was so much like a party. Everyone was standing around talking in groups or dancing on a dance floor with a disco ball turning in the air. You had your choice of animations, many dances to choose from. Music was playing and everyone was relaxed. I really did feel like I was at a party. This year the theme was the 50′s. I had a blast. It is so much fun to just relax and talk with professionals you have been learning from all week. Great experience and I attended some informative lectures that I will definitely be able to use.

College Student Presentations on Social Communication

I have just listened to 3 students speak on social media, fascinating! Facebook, Twitter and text appear to be the favored method to communicate with Facebook being way in front. Their analysis deternined that when someone uses Facebook it is more personal. They even think they can get closer to politicians through these tools.

Using a Social Media Tool to Join a Professional Organization

Well I will be talking about Second Life and the group I joined. I joined NC Educators in Second Life. It is a huge group who welcomed me with open arms. One of the most interesting things they host is the UNC TLT annual conference. Last year, due to the weak economy UNC Pembrook moved their annual conference to Second Life and it doesn’t cost a dime to attend. It is a great conference. The presenters are educators and technical gurus. It is a great place to hobnob with other professionals in a relaxed environment. The only problem I am having, is it is during work hours. I am so busy at work I can only get on at lunch and at the end of the day. Yesterday, I missed the whole thing! After work I did go and check out all the posters; looked like some great presentations. I also had a ball in the freebie area. Picked up some great clothes, teaching tools and building materials. The web address for the conference is http://conference.unctlt.org/

If you have never been to SL, you should give it a try. You will not see any boring frumpy people. You will see and talk to some of the most interesting avatars (people’s virtual self). Depending where you go generally determines who you meet. Most areas are open so sometimes you do run into an odd egg or someone trying to hook up. You just have to be on your toes, just like real life. I love messing around universities and educational organizations. The IBM island is awesome. NCSU has a cool island. I hardly ever see anyone there though. ISTE  has a wealth of resources and training that you can easily access. So to check these places out, go to WeBiee’s website a use their simple guide to get started. http://sites.google.com/site/ncwebieeproject/

Here is the slur (in world address)l for the UNC TLT conference:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/NC%20WeBIEE%204/211/79/38

You have to set up SL and create an account (get your avatar) to get there.