Reading+Reflections

//May 23// One thing I have noticed in this weeks reading is that the authors very much think of SL as still in an experimental phase. This is interesting to me since when Aubergine and I are in SL things feel extraordinarily polished for the most part. There are technology glitches that I am sometimes not sure are coming from my computer or from SL itself. Voice is still relatively new **//(find the date)//** and the workshops with voice are often more shaky than those only held in chat.

Reading about the beginnings of AVL and Australian Libraries has me thinking about what draws people to wanting to experiment with SL as a place for learning. Learning is not one dimensional in that the teachers (including librarians) are learning new pedagogies at the same time that their students and patrons are learning from them **//(figure out how to say this better)//**. I like to think about this as textured learning, or layered learning. One Professor explained why she likes using SL by saying for her it is another level of literacy that she challenges her students to master.

I like the idea of people concerned with information (ie librarians) also being familiar with alternative, or new, ways of sharing it. I also like the idea of librarians constantly exploring on the edge of what is possible. Here is a personal challenge; why does this seem so important and how can I articulate it to other librarians library students?

//May 25// I created a podcast reflecting on some of the readings and the recent conversations Aubergine and I had in SL.

media type="file" key="Podcast1.mp3"

Here is the text of the text of the podcast:



June 3

The collaboration that is facilitated by SL creates a strong sense of community. The communities seem to be focused on common interests and are built through undertaking projects that emerge from those interests. Communities are also facilitated by the 'official' groups which anyone can join and, as expected, bring together people with similar interests. The small sample of communities Aubergine has begun to be a part of and explore have a professional interest focus although at the same time, it is obvious that friendships have developed. Much the same way RL friendships grow as people work together and share ideas.

//In Virtual Worlds, Real Libraries,// J.J. Jacobson has a chapter titled //Virtual Neighborhoods, Real Communities//: //The Caledon Branch Library and the Branch Library Program.// Jacobson describes the 19th century themed sim, Caledon and in specific the library that is an integral part of it. He asks the question; why have a branch library in a virtual world when "everything, in principle, is four clicks away from everything else?" I think understanding this question is at the heart of understanding what motivates people to become invested in SL and emphasizes the pull participating in a virtual world can have.

An unintended consequence of SL may be the development of communities of professionals brought together in some cases intentionally and in others by serendipity. SL allows for a much broader reach than a typical RL professional group so that the community developing would be able to have members who might not otherwise meet. I am suggesting that building community in SL reflects how communities are built in RL but that the excitement and energy supported by SL is not regularly part nor as pervasive in RL professional groups. There is not as much 'institutional baggage' brought inworld; or it may be that t is easier to leave it behind. SL provides innumerable opportunities for innovative thinking and otherwise creative ideas. People are encourage to try something out. I wonder if the SL platform for collaboration, support, and creativity makes the inworld communities actually stronger that they might be in RL?

June 7

messing with blog comment... [|We're Virtually There, Companion]

**//You identified flexibility and creativity as "unintended consequences" of the SL environment.

I'm wondering how these two aspects might be incorporated into exhibits and experiences. Or, are these traits that necessary prior to entering SL? In other words, will people who lack flexibility or don't see themselves as creative be handicapped in some way when using SL? //**

I think this goes back to the unique qualities of an immersive environment. In one of the readings (need to find which one) this very question was discussed; there will be any number of personalities exploring SL and how do we reach them? To be able to reach different types of learners, an SL experience must include enough variety of ways to interact with it for each learner to have a comfortable means to do so.

I would suggest that another quality of an immersive environment is that, when it is successful, people do not necessarily realize all the ways they are being engaged or are able to participate.

I do not think being flexible or creative is a prerequisite to exploring SL although I think those who are naturally so may have an advantage in starting out. Of course, SL will not appeal to everyone, but for those who are curious and could go either way, the ready availability of welcoming, inviting, thought provoking, engaging sims with plenty of ways to interact, (i.e. touching/clicking, chatting, moving about, reading, listening) will most likely determine whether the new comer returns to explore more or writes SL off as an interesting experiment and not much more.  //**Are there ways that we can facilitate learning or a positive experience for those people who aren't comfortable? Are there elements that can be built into exhibits that help users explore, encourage creativity, or guide timid users?**//

The long learning curve in SL does feel threatening. It 's like setting out on a five mile run where the beginning is the most challenging and unless you have self motivation or another reason to see it through, it is very easy to give up. The middle miles are usually the easiest where you reach a comfortable stride and can seemingly coast along to the finish. Getting beyond the beginning unease of being in a virtual word (especially for someone to whom it feels silly, or a waste of time) may not happen for some people unless they find a mentor or guide.

Not having ventured too often away form the educational and library sims, I cannot speak too broadly, but the success of 'a first visit' is mediated by an inviting welcome area (as well as an inviting entry into each various exhibit/area). In some of the areas if there is not an actual person, there are welcome hosts (not what they are really called but I will find the name) who are programmed to recognize your name and may provide a notecard explaining the area and highlighting one or two activities and/or events. By enlisting the help of a real volunteer or a simulated 'greeter' people who design an area are addressing the need to make first time visitors feel welcome and comfortable enough to begin exploring the area.

I Think the use of a mentor and or volunteer who can explain the focus of an area/display and ways someone can interact with it (including observing it) goes a long way to helping someone more timid get his or her bearings. On the other hand, a timid user may feel apprehensive interacting immediately with another person and so having a welcome area that is not too busy, loud, or otherwise personally intrusive I also an important consideration.  //**For instance, some people may wander around clicking on exhibits and asking questions. While others may feel uncomfortable with clicking on objects and insecure about asking questions. How do these personality difference impact the effectiveness of the environment?**//

This raises a very good point and significant question that I have when I think about designing an original space. In the few conversations I've had with people who design and build, I have not yet found an exact answer. They focus on the immersive experience they try to create for people. Recently, a librarian suggested the more a sim is immersive and the more senses it engages, the more likely it is for someone to have a positive (and rich) experience when visiting it.

In my own case, I am still hesitant to enter an area with a group of people who are engaged with one another although in the workshops I have participated in I have felt comfortable speaking up and asking questions. At the same time, for example, when Aubergine explores the Nonprofit Commons she is often the only one there in what feels like a very large space. Though empty, it is overwhelming and we have often left perhaps prematurely. The content is what has encouraged Aubergine to come back and explore some more.

Several of the readings suggest that the anonymity of SL may in fact, encourage otherwise reluctant students to participate in classes (Suzanne Baker and Molly Berger, for example). I have wondered if this was the case in some of the workshops Aubergine has attended.

I think there is a difference between random or unfocused wondering in SL and exploring with a purpose, even if the purpose is not necessarily educational in scope. Random exploration may require more self confidence than a mediated situation (as in a class setting). 

June 13

I have very much latched on to the idea of serendipity as a unique characteristic of learning in SL. Serendipity as defined by [|Merriam-Webster Online] implies a positive experience; discovering something of value. In SL Aubergine and I have discovered that some of the learning experiences are not initially positive but can be turned into a 'learning from mistakes' moment. One important role for an educator or librarian in SL is to be able to mediate user experiences so that the frustrations felt do not cause someone to write off SL entirely.

Staffing an area, like a library, in SL, because it operates 24/7, is challenging at best. To mitigate a potentially negative experience, therefore, it is ciritical to develop the area with enough alternative ways to experience it that it can attempt to meet the needs/expectations of anyone who might wander by. Though the community that could be in an SL library is much more of an unknown, than those of a RL library, the collaborative network of SL volunteers can share ideas and expertise to help account for the potential variety of SL patrons. Many of the chapters in //Virtual Worlds Real Libraries: Librarians and Educators in Second Life and Other Multi-User Virtual Environments// describe the development of individual areas and highlight key features the authors identify as successful. There seem to be several recurring themes in what constitutes success: combining inworld resources with links to outside websites/URLs, using notecards to deliver text information, rotating/renewing exhibits, and hosting interactive events, for example.

In a number of cases, a sim was developed following a specific theme (as in, HealthInfo Island, Mystery Manor, Rachelville, and the Land of Lincoln) thus drawing people who have an interest in the given theme. In that way, the majority of patrons would be self-selecting. Each sim, however, was created and is currently maintained, with the intent of engaging visitors, imparting useful information, and creating a reason for them to return. Not so different from RL library service. Designers clearly understand the limitations of the SL platform and appear to be addressing them with the same energy and creativity they apply to an overall project. Equally important is that they keep an eye to the future so that they learn and are willing to adapt or change something that may not have been as successful in application as it was in an imagination.

So that serendipitous discovery remains a significant strength of SL, people designing environments need to consider both the overall impact and the effect of the individual components. Multiple means and levels of interaction and a combination of text-based and visual exhibits* are first steps toward developing a successful design. Aubergine's most positive experiences were not necessarily mediated by a person; the places she returns to combine active areas with places to reflect. The design itself mediates the experience.


 * (understanding that not everyone has audio capabilities yet, it is option but may need to be supplimented with text)

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