Cool Cat Teacher is December's Blog-o'-the-Month!

Congrats to Vicki Davis for her Cool Cat Teacher blog's impressive victory in the race for December Blog-o'-the-Month at the ISTE Island Blogger's Hut! CCT will be featured in the auto-updating RSS feed at the Hut for the entire month of December.

Polling is now open for the Blog-o'-the-Month for January, and there's an impressive group up for the honor this month. Each and every one of them has been culled from the Second Life Bloggers' ning and each one has a unique perspective on the Second Life experience.

The Cindy Kesey Show (Cinderlla Kesey)
since July 2007, abounds with detailed musings about the relationships between Second Life and, well, relationships...One of her earliest posts is entitled, "Is Second Life a Guilty Pleasure?":

Second Life at hand (Sofian Mannonen)
since November 2007, works "in finance, Hence I need escaping a little from numbers" and lives in Talouse, France. Her blog posts are often populated with machinima or snapshots from her explorations in Second Life and she enjoys significant traffic, illustrated in this recent post highlighting her Clustrmap:

Mariko Nightfire, a Virtual Life (Mariko Nightfire)
since new year's eve, 2008, shares the reflections and journal of this self-described "19 year old...student at a large Northeastern university." The quality of her writing certainly evident in this recent post about the Mont St. Michel in France and its rebuild in Second Life:

Dusan Writer's Metaverse (Dusan Writer)
since at least 2007, this prolific blogger is a veritable fountain of information and opinion about Second Life. From his "about" statment, "Dusan Writer is my avatar name in virtual worlds such as Second Life where I like to wander, build, explore, and buy stuff. Interested in the metaverse and identity, education, visualization, and collaboration. This post from November 2007 highlights his commitment to education in Second Life and his sharing nature:
(note: this post resides at a Wordpress archive site, Dusan's current blog is at http://dusanwriter.com

Have a great month!

Mariko Nightfire: A Virtual Life

Wow. I just logged into Second Life, stepping to John Prine's 1971 eponymous vinyl LP, gently exercising to "Hello in There," an ode to empathy for the aging. Catching up on instant messages, I got a "hello in there" from someone I haven't met, a self-described "student at a university in the northeast," who asked me to consider her blog for the ISTE Island Blogger's Hut. Her blog is entitled "Mariko Nightfire: A Virtual Life."

Click.

Wonderment.

Some readers may know that I've been exploring other worlds, most recently Twinity and OpenSim, and I've not been in Second Life much lately just because no matter how many "mes" there are there is only one "me," and though I can (and have been, actually) be in three or four places at once with the magic of multiple display windows and a monster hard drive, I can only give my attention, truly give it, to one experience at a time. Tom Hayes, in Jump Point, calls attention "the aphrodisiac of the future." (I think that may be Hayes citing someone else, but I don't have the book at hand. Correct me if I'm not giving credit where due.) I'm not sure it's all that sexy all the time, but that characterization does underscore the role of attention as valuable currency now and in the future.

Giving some attention to Mariko's work, I can see that she's only been blogging Second Life for a little over a year. It's already an impressive, refreshing, inspiring body of work. I hope she keeps it up. Rarely do I visit a blog that knocks my virtual socks off immediately, and this one leaves me barefooted and wide-eyed. It's an enthusiastic, open, and thoughtful collection of explorations in Second Life and I heartily recommend you visit it.

If nothing else, it will remind you, as it does me, that Second Life sets the benchmarks that all aspiring virtual environments must aim to surpass. So far, though I've seen a number of promising attempts, a blog such as Mariko's reminds me that none have so far succeeded.

Here's what the author says in her introduction:

Welcome to Mariko Nightfire: A Virtual Life.Mariko Nightfire is the name of my Second Life self. Mariko is also my name in real life. I’m a Japanese-American girl from Hawaii and a student at a university in the northeast. As an extention of me, so is Mariko Nightfire. But, she is far more than an extention. She is the Mariko in Wonderland. This blog records her adventures in wonderland and my thoughts on Second Life's culture and development. Her's is truly a fully realized life being lived in that alternative universe of pixels...

Go visit Mariko Nightfire, a Virtual Life.

ISTE SIGVE Tour of ReactionGrid this Monday!

Hey, all,

I don't want to crash any sims here, but I do want you to know that we've been invited to drop into Core1 at ReactionGrid on OpenSim Monday, 5 pm EST (that's 3 pm Second Life Time and my CST 4 pm) to take a brief tour with the owners, Kyle and Robin Gomboy and Chris Hart.

I would suggest not waiting until then to go scarf your new avatar (I chose to maintain my SL avatar name, Scottmerrick Oh, in RG/OS, but you go for it if you wish and reinvent your identity all over again!) to go 'splorin' yourself. Simply visit http://reactiongrid.com and sign up just like the n00b that you are, dress out your n00b avi, and drop in. I've been doing my own advance scouting this past week or two and here are a just few things I've discovered as the new "me." Oh, pay no attention to the n00b hairstyle--I've fixed it. Sort of.

--A fine and complex project to honor the 1939 New York World's Fair (maybe these will soon be called "Worlds' Fairs), see a flickr slideshow here
--A budding Michigan pioneer village at My Michigan
--Our own fave Aussie Jokay further expanding her virtual education empire, Jokaydia
--the Greenbush CSI, yes, Crime Scene Investigation

--CoolCatTeacher Viki Davis engaging her Georgia students with virtual world challenges
--a wonderful art gallery with thought provoking displays of eclectic art
--dozens of educators flexing their perceptions of what learning is and how best to share it with their students

There's more, and there will be more, take my virtual word for it. See you then, or see you sometime, somewhere, on OpenSim!

OpenSim Hypergrid!

Okay, ya'll.

I don't really get this yet? But I will. The analogy is that I've cracked open this door. I see amazing things through the crack. And I so can't wait to share it that I turn around and run to the phone on my wall to call everyone I know.

http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Hypergrid

ISTE SIGVE in "soft opening" mode--join now!

Hey, all, I'm pleased to (quietly, shhhhh) announce that the newest Special Interest Group for the International Society for Technology in Education, SIG Virtual Environments, is slowly but surely ramping up its efforts to build a new and comprehensive community of educators who are doing great things with virtual worlds.

While the formal SIG membership within ISTE is of course an option only open to ISTE members (and we highly recommend you join ISTE--it's a wonderful community of over 85,000 members from all over the world), the wiki and the ning is open to all educators who are interested in how 3D virtual environments, primarily, are changing the landscape of learning and teaching.

While its origins are in Second Life (and there's also a Group there) we want to welcome thought leaders and followers from all virtual platforms.

Visit the wiki to start, and dig deeply. We need you.

Balance in Life and Pathways

Been 'splorin' Second Life this morning based on a "Real Life Education in Second Life" group query I picked up in group chat yesterday. Someone (sorry, I didn't note the avatar name) chatted a question to the effect of "Does anyone have a lm (landmark) to the store where I can purchase a Pathways Learning System?"

Well, I was as I am wont to be curious, so I tp'd to the replied landmark and found myself in a very interesting space. I looked around. My wife and son pulled into the garage downstairs in real life (IRL) and I knew I had to leave Second Life so I did. It's important to honor balance and time in the contexts of life and family, dontcha know.

This morning I awoke, ran through my morning espresso-making, pet-treating ritual, slipped into workout clothes and hauled my laptop down to my garage office/study. I set up the computer at my bookcase shelf where it resides on top of my ancient amplifier receiver, selected at more or less random the John Lennon vinyl recording "Rock 'n Roll," turned up the amp and climbed aboard my step machine. That's where I still am, exercising and typing to my 2nd listening of Side 1's "Be-bop-a-lula," I have a good sweat working, I've been exploring Second Life, and I've answered a couple emails. I just took my last sip of espresso, which is cold; but that's okay. Life(s) is good.

So back to the Pathways Learning System. It's pretty neat. I'm considering purchasing the starter kit, and at $L 9999, even with the educator discount, that's saying something.

To continue the narrative: This morning, I fired up my Emerald Green SL client and clicked to login at my "Last Location" and there I was, taking up my exploration again as if I hadn't had a wonderful dinner with my family, watched two Dexters on DVD with my lovely wife, collapsed into a sleep-coma and awakened to my elderly rescuee cat meowing on my chest for her morning treat.

Here's where I rezzed (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Belphegor/110/34/71):

After giving things time to rez in, I walked around. This looks like a godsend to educators and if the makers have set up a viable and profitable way to share it and support their development endeavors at the same time, more power to 'em, I say!

Watch the video to get the whole picture.

I certainly could have used this at my "slartclectic" art gallery build (see previous post and video) but alas, it's coming down today. You might be able to catch it, or me taking it down, if you pop in today, Sunday, November 8, 2009, otherwise content yourself with the video and plan to visit Nashville next year the third week in October for artlcectic, the "real" thing.

ISTE SL Tour Nov 1, 2009

Lasterday (sic) I popped inworld to greet participants in Esme Qunhua's wonderful bi-weekly educators' tour of Second Life sites at my temporary "slartclectic" build. I'm announcing here that the fabulousmarvelousgenerous Angrybeth Shortbread has granted us a one week extension on its lifespan so that it will be available to visit in SL until the end of the day Sunday, Nov. 8. Yay! Please visit and sign the "guest book," several copies of which are laying around at the bars and also right at the teleport location. Click on everything. Be kind and thoughtful when you give me feedback because I'm hoping to use it to pitch either a permanent build or at least an annual one so that this wonderful real life juried art show can extend its reach into the global community! Thanks! I'll add a few more pics here along with Esme's commentary and get out of the way. Come visit! (SLurl)

ISTE SL Tour Nov 1, 2009: Adventures, mazes, and a little art.

We visited 4 sims:

SLartclectic - The Port - Art and Creative Tech, The Port (138, 98, 501)

SLartclectic is an experimental art gallery created as a "proof of concept" for the annual University School of Nashville art show and gallery, "artclectic."

Here we were met and guided by

Scottmerrick Oh. The sim is a limited time exhibit of many, many pieces of art, sculpture and other designs.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Port/146/94/501

The Pencil Factory - Angrybeth Shortbread

Absolutely fabulous and huge interactive art sim.

Enscharys: Elven Castle and Game, Enscharys (121, 96, 153)

A game/maze that you must explore to find the keys to the castle. Beautiful architecture.

One Man's Garbage, Cookie (182, 85, 21) - We explored Tooters sentence maze and other booths.

Participants

1. Esme Qunhua, tour manager

2. Janita Collins, tour assistant

3. Scottmerrick Oh, guest tour guide

4. Oronoque Westland, ideas

5. Mandie Mimulus

6. Learner Magic

7. Jackie Rexen

8. Shailey Garfield

9. Louise Borgnine

10. DrDavis Idlemind

11. Carson Vespucciano

12. Elyen Zlatkes

13. Eruditus Drut

14. Josain Zsun

15. Alocin Tigerpaw

16. Kevin Hootfly

17. Haley Swansong

18. Aquiel Aero

19. Firery Broome