I got to run the first VSTE meeting after the face to face VSTE Conference in Virginia Beach March 2. I created a slideshow on profiles and the newest avatars worked on theirs while we talked. Profiles in Second Life are how you present yourself to others. Because we are there to network and collaborate with other educational technology folks we want to let the world know who we are and what we do to some extent.
I went tab by tab over what is 
available in the profile, including how to make notes about the others one meets so as not to forget important things they have told about themselves. Everyone added VSTE Island to their picks and at the end of the meeting Pocahontas gave all the newbies 10 Lindens and we helped them add a profile pic of themselves.
We had over twenty people in attendance. :-)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
VSTE Meeting - Profiles
Sunday, March 1, 2009
March 1, One Year Later
I met Cyrus at an ELVEN meeting March 1, 2008. I was weeks old as an avatar and had just discovered educational technology groups. I probably heard about this class through a message sent to ISTE. Dewey Jung, was presenting a two hour session on teaching tools in Second Life. I went. Cyrus, as it happens was two seats away. You can see us in this photo and the script of the class is available at the link above. I learned so much in that class that I still remember showing off my skills to others who weren't all that interested. I showed Kiwi and Jerry at Eduisland. I showed Corvette, who invited his friends Luvis and Vegos to see, in a sandbox. I learned about SpeakEasy, FreeViewer, and Notecard Giver at that class; three tools I have used since over and over again.
During the class I was also working on paying bills and my avatar fell asleep. Cyrus IMed me that he had a script that would prevent that. :-) He also had to be away from the computer and asked me to take notes for him, which I did in minute detail! Afterall he was higher ed and I didn't want him to think I was stupid. :-) We met later for me to give him the notes and he showed me his classroom. We have been friends ever since.
We celebrated our friendship on March 1, 2009, days after meeting in person at the VSTE conference. This is one of the magical things about Second Life. You can meet someone and get to know them well in a virtual world and eventually become "real life" friends and, if you are lucky, even work together.
Cyrus, Matt (RL), came to VSTE in Virginia Beach and helped with our eight sessions. He ran the computer attached to the projector for the interview and the New Voyages concert. He managed the audio streaming on the island for us. He's been a huge help with newbies on VSTE Island and has become a friend of Al, Lisa, and Marie, too.
Cyrus, Matt, I appreciate you!
