Networking Across the World

Tek Zeno and I have been busy setting up a Teacher Networking Center at Eduisland II. Our hope is for the center to be a place for educators from around the world to meet, share, collaborate, and work together. We opened on July 24th with an informal meeting.

Tools have been set up in various parts of the building so that educators could take a look at what types of SL tools there are, try them out and practice using them. Also available are free teaching resources for people to take.

The first meeting was a huge success with about 30 people showing up. The next meeting is planned for the 1st of August and hopefully as many people will be able to attend this one as well. This meeting will be held at an earlier time in the day so that educators from around the world will be able to come.

The Teacher Networking Center will schedule informal as well as formal meetings throughout the year where educators of subject area and grade levels can get together in order to discuss real life issues in education as well as SL issues in education.

Come and join us for a collaboration of teachers.
Trade lesson plans
Discuss common classroom issues
Meet other educators in your area of expertise
Exchange best practices in education
Form friendships
Use SL tools and resources
View the many slide shows on SL topics



Tek and I are very excited about the possibilities that the TNC offers to educators in Second Life. Social networking is such a large part of what works in SL . Being able to meet, and come together in one place, to share, discuss, and collaborate in educational topics, can only add onto these possiblities.

What's New in My Second Life Adventure

I haven't had much time to spend at either my rental on Eduisland II or at my place on Montbard. I've been so busy taking classes in the SL environment, learning the fundamentals of prims, scripting, animation, photography, as well as creating prim clothes, hair and shoes. I cannot believe all of the incredible classes that are offered here in SL.

I've also joined a number of education-related groups in Second Life:

• Best Practices for Education


• SLolar Central


• NMC Guest


• ISTE: Education Technology Association


• Academy of Second Learning


• ELVEN Institute


• K-12 Educators


• Library Services for Teens


• Lighthouse Learning Island


• Real Life Education in Second Life


• Rockcliffe University


• Eduisland II


• Discovery Education Network

Being involved in these many groups tends to keep me busy. For instance, I attend meetings at the ELVEN Institute on how to include SL into the K-12 teaching environment. This is still my main focus for using Second Life; how to have my students be able to use the SL virtual world as a teaching and learning tool.

I am also continuing to try to have access to the SL Teen grid. I have been pursuing this avenue through The Eye4You Alliance group which is a program that offers library services within the space of Teen Second Life. So far I have passed the background check and created an alternate avator to take over to the Teen grid.

Hoping to soon be able to explore the possibilities of this Teen grid for my students to use in the future.

But not all the time spent here in Second Life has been work. My neighbour in Montbard had a fire-works display for the 4th of July. Here is a photo of us watching the display: Andromeda, Victoria and I.