First Experiences

Pia Klaar was born in Second Life in April of 2007. I had heard of Second Life at school. Kathy Schrock had asked me if I had gone to Sl. That night I signed on and Pia was born. Since that first night, I have spent countless hours exploring the endless possibilities of SL as a tool for the teaching and learning community.

I teach middle school computer classes, as well as history classes to advanced and gifted students. My classroom is in a lab with every student having the use of a laptop.

I knew that I wanted to explore the use of SL as a tool for teaching and learning, but didn't quite know how to go about using it at that time. Also, as a newbie, I had a difficult time just getting around and being able to do the most simple of tasks.

One of the first places that I visited was ISTE. I attended the "Thursday Night SkyPark Social". There, I felt lost and out-of-place in the crowd. Those attending seemed experienced and highly academic . Few teachers of K-12.

Yet, I continued to explore the use of Sl as a teaching and learning tool for K-12 teachers. I felt that SL had a place in the world of education. Now, though, I realised that if it was difficult for me to find a place in this strange and new world, then it would be most likely feel the same for others.

Comfort

My first step was to find a home where I could feel comfortable in SL. I rented a building on Eduisland II. Here, other educators had begun to find roots. People such as Alan November, Hall Davidson, Annette Lamb, Kathy Schrock and many others.

I welcome you to Pia's Place. I hope to eventually have it used as a center for teachers to use. A place where they can begin to put down roots, to fell comforatbale in SL. A place where they can collaborate with others, and eventually create learning and teaching experiences.


Comfort, Collaboration, Content, Creation

These can from a meeting I attended at ELVEN on Professional Development. It is rather strange to note that in Sl a person can be involved in many different activities or events where people from all over the globe meet to discuss ideas and issues related to teaching and learning in SL and RL.