Unit Plan online

To view my final project about characterization in Second Life, including a narrative, unit plan, and lessons, visit this link for the Google Doc.

It's a good thing you can't die

Though I suppose it would lend a sort of poetry to the project if my avatar were to die on the final day of observation, one cannot, in fact, die in Second Life. (You can die in the within-SL RPG's though, but you just get teleported back to your home location. I know this from internet research, not experience, because I'm too scared to try an RPG.)

However, I must have tested the boundaries of an avatar's life in some way when I sent Allie Jurassic skydiving as a big hurrah for the end of the formal project. I did read the directions before I sent my beloved avatar 4,000 meters into the air. However, I forgot the command for opening my parachute. I tried "open," but that wasn't it. As I crossed the 1,000 meter mark, plummeting toward the earth, I started frantically searching my inventory for the notecard with the parachute directions on it. I saw that the word I was looking for was actually "pull" just as Allie Jurassic slammed into the concrete. SL calmly informed me, "Splat!" I didn't seem to sustain any other damage. So, I did it again, with more success on the parachute-opening front the second time around. The unfortunate part of skydiving, at least on my computer, is that you can't load the graphics until you are very close to the ground, meaning that most of the time you're just flying through blue and gray blankness.

Reluctant to end my day's journey to the airport just then, I went exploring. I tried to sail this really awesome looking little speedboat, but when I got in, it said "You may only drive vehicles you own." Sigh, this was one of those expensive-stuff places. I walked to the big plane hangar and read the info about some of the planes that were for sale. Then I noticed the "demo" button. Score!

I proceeded to almost kill my avatar, if such a thing were possible, for the second time in an hour. I managed to get in the plane, but neglected to read the directions, so I sat aimlessly pressing buttons, hoping the airplane would start. Eventually PageDown seemed to get the thing moving, and all of a sudden I was flying a plane down a runway! I took off at high speed and felt pretty excited.

Then I realized that my computer, as usual, was loading the landscape around me as I went, causing me to almost crash into a lighthouse and actually crash into a giant floating helipad-looking contraption. Fortunately when you hit something, you bounce off, more or less. I couldn't remember where the runway was or how to slow down, so I hit "stand up," which basically forcefully ejected me from the plane and I fell a little while until I landed on something again. But of course, no harm done.

I am convinced that in some ways, Second Life can be as fulfilling as real life. I sort of feel like I have flown a plane, something I will probably never do IRL, and certainly not for free. But I know that, in the long run, SL will not become a significant part of my life. Partly because I am too shy to interact with other people, partly because I am highly invested in my real life life at the moment. What I take away from this experience is a good idea for a very high-investment unit to teach characterization as well as respect for the amount of time and energy people have put into making this world a place where people can truly learn and experience and play and communicate. You really can do anything your imagination comes up with. It will be interesting to see what happens next in this alternate universe we've created.

Going to the beach requires changing clothes

So, I decided today would be a good day to head to the beach, since I'm not feeling well in real life (IRL, as I learned the pros call it) but it's pretty outside (also IRL, but since I can control the weather, I know it will be nice in SL too.)

When I showed up in my beach of choice, I got a free Diet Pepsi! Go product placement!

Then I found a towel that let me sunbathe. It was at this point I realized that perhaps I should find a bathing suit. Not ready to leave the beach for shopping, though, I soldiered on in my full outfit.






I found a free jetski! The lag on my internet connection made it hard to steer with any accuracy, though, and I ended up riding over a buoy.





I decided to stick to the pool instead. Here, I'm doing the breaststroke.









Then I went back to land-based activities. I found a free skateboard, but couldn't figure out how to use it in the skate park. In this picture, you can see that I have attached the skateboard to my body such that it goes into my thigh. Whoops.




After having left the beach, I went "freebie shopping" at new citizen-friendly locations and starting playing with my outfit so that I would be better prepared for next time I needed a new wardrobe. Turns out that the free stuff is not always high quality stuff. Who would have thought? Anyway, I morphed into a rocker chick for the next few days. As I would ask my students in their project, what does this appearance say about my character? I think it says, "Go ahead. I dare you to mess with me."

Problems I've been considering

So, in my infinite teacher wisdom, it occurred to me that sending my students on a virtual mission might result in them trying things that...let's just say their parents might not want them doing. And I certainly don't want them doing those things either. Rather than test out for myself how easy it would be to accomplish x-rated feats, I decided to take to the internet and research the potential dangers. Here, I discuss my findings.

First of all, the drug culture does not seem to be as strong as the sex culture. This article claims that drugs are hard to come by, but are indeed for sale in SL. The article also mentioned that gambling was outlawed, something I personally hadn't even considered, but I can see why it was an issue.

Overall, though, it seems to me that sexual activity would be the major concern. One thing I can take comfort in is the fact that I now know from experience how hard it is to make an attractive avatar, and without a lot of money or SL programming skills, my students will not be turning into prostitutes. That doesn't necessarily stop them from visiting the sexually explicit areas of SL, though, if they're not afraid of lying to SL's age verification process. The blog Alphaville Herald provides a lot of news about mature content, and assures that while it is difficult to get through the age scans, people are providing registration information for personalities with accessible details, like Tupac or even Mohammad Atta, the terrorist.

In the end, I feel that my students will, for the majority, be well-shielded from any inappropriate content, and unless they work hard at it, they won't be accessing it either. However, the project will definitely require parental permission slips. I have been exploring other options too, and note that there is a teenager-friendly version of Second Life that I will also be looking into.

On an unrelated note, I also found this news item at the Alphaville Herald that just baffled me: "Second Life’s chicken farming community is facing a deadly new threat - a food decoy that distracts virtual chickens from their food trays, starving them to death over the course of several days. The threat of biological warfare marks the latest stage in an ongoing conflict between chicken farmers and anti-chicken residents. While a growing chicken farming community enjoys raising the birds, other residents feel chickens create lag and are willing to take matters into their own hands, despite an improved version of the sion chickens with reduced lag."

A chicken farming community? Biological warfare? I knew SL was complex, but honestly, its depths never cease to amaze me.

Tar Heel born, Tar Heel bred (in Second Life)

I went to visit my alma mater on Second Life! UNC-Chapel Hill purchased a bunch of land in SL, and holds lectures and meetings there--only for fun right now, but certain grad students are making big plans for actual classrooms...

The details are surprisingly accurate. I was really impressed. They have a lot of buildings and landmarks. Some are originals, though. Here is a picture of me visiting the SL-original memorial to my friend Eve, the student body president who was murdered last year.

Oh, and there is a basketball on my hand as part of a tourist application. Upon entering campus, I was prompted to download the basketball, which then speaks to me as I encounter landmarks across campus. I like the school spirit!

Allie Jurassic, may you always feel the universal joy around you

The title of this post comes from the (and I'm not making this up) Font of Eternal Remembrance, which, when your avatar "touches" it, dispenses fortunes.

Now that was a real adventure. Star Journey had a strong "place feeling"--mysterious and romantic. If only I had a Second Life boyfriend to share the experience with! Alas, I think my First Life boyfriend might object.

The first thing I noticed when I teleported there was the strong ties to Relay for Life. There were donation stations all around. I think it's cool that real money for a good cause can come out of a virtual world. It's proof that technologies that seem like games are becoming more and more relevant in non-traditional capacities.




This is how you get around in Star Journey: riding on a star. Duh, I guess. I think I was supposed to sit down first.









I found a desk to write at. Every English teacher's dream.









Then I started wandering around the romantic island and found a ducky float ride to chill in for a while. It seemed to me that the best way to use this day (since I was alone, not on a date) was to find the silliest things to do and take pictures of myself doing them. Then, when my students are assigned the "day in the life" writing piece I've been thinking about, they can take captures of their own avatars doing silly things like mine, which will make for interesting writing for them. There are no limits to what you can do in Second Life, as long as you know how to find it! (And in some cases, you have to be willing to pay for it, which I do not plan on doing.)

Then I found a "flower dome" with a leaf in it. You're supposed to chill out with your honey. You can even change the colors and amounts of the flowers surrounding you.

I think the cowboy hat adds a certain something to my relaxed nature.




This is the Lightning Cave. Very cool, it's animated and everything. There was a warning sign outside the cave saying not to go in if you're sensitive to flashes of light.








Then I took a heart-shaped flying saucer to the Ballroom, where I downloaded a free ballgown for myself and danced alone (pity party). That blue spot left of my head is where my partner is supposed to be dancing.






In the end, though, it was a highly satisfying adventure. I even found this free necklace! You can't tell in this picture, but I'm wearing my jeans and sneakers under my ballgown. I'm reluctant to part with them after I worked so long to understand how to wear them.





I learned a few important things today. One: let other people tell you fun places to go, because they definitely know better. Two: stick with something long enough to figure out how to use it well--i.e. Star Island--there were a LOT of directions to read before I understood how to teleport around--but it was worth it.

Three: Posting lots of pictures in a single blog entry is possible, but annoyingly complicated.
Four: Every avatar in Second Life has a profile that anyone can search for and read about. I filled in some information about myself. I think this will be a very useful tool in our characterization project--what will you choose to say in your profile to give people an impression of your character? That's the essence of characterization in real writing too, so we're learning it on a micro scale through Second Life. Excellent.