Finding SLURLs

by Alan Levine

A recent question to the list...

I've also read about a way of sending SULRs to del.icio.us - however, I'm not that familiar with del.icio.us - and searching for "SURL" as a tag gets you the Usability lab at Wichita (which has very useful resources & I use a lot ... only I didn't want them right now!)

A combo tag may help-
http://del.icio.us/tag/slurl+education

And Sean had an excellent set of reference sites. For more of the "almanac" approach you described, try Aggiornamento II: http://aggiornamento-ii.blogspot.com/

FREE SL Office Residency on EduIsland II

by Laelia Laval

Nancy Sharoff (Laelia Laval - SL) and Kevin Jarrett (KJ Hax) are pleased to announce the launch of "SLolar Central" (SLolar = Second Life Scholar), a facility providing FREE, temporary "office space" (and other resources) for K-20 educators and school administrators exploring Second Life. Need a place to 'set to home'?

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Kevin and Nancy met at the Google Teacher Academy in NYC. We are so excited about SL's potential that we decided to create our own community for fellow educators. So, we leased three floors in a gorgeous tower on EduIsland II, located at:
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http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%20II/32/213/21
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Here are some photos:

http://flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/502557125/
http://flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/502557089/
http://flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/502557063/
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SLolar Central is a gathering place for educators committed to exploring the possibilities of SL, a place where avatars can experiment with modes of communication, building, movement, etc. to enhance their SL experience and find ways to use it in the classroom and as a means of professional development. Our vision is to create a community of learners devoted to exploring SL and sharing the experience. To find out more, please visit SLolar Central's Google Groups page at:
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http://groups.google.com/group/slolar-central
1. Click on 'Files'
2. Click on 'Temporary Office Space Residency Application'
3. Copy/paste text into the body of an e-mail and send it to laelia
[dot] laval [at] gmail [dot] com
4. Don't forget to click on 'Apply for group membership' as well!
.

We are very excited about the potential for this community and hope that many of you will join us as we explore the infinite possibilities of SL. Space is limited, so act fast. Any questions? Let us know!

WANTED: SLURLS to NonLinear Fluid Virtual Spaces and Experiments

By Emin Saglamer (17-May-07)

I am helping a group of architecture students from Istanbul Technical University. Their project is exploring the results of what absolute freedom creates in a virtual environment. When they say absolute freedom they mean, freedom from physical constraints, gravity, etc.

Could you please send me as many SLURLS as you can to experimental non-traditional spaces that have been created in SL? I am not asking for pretty RL simulation spaces. What I am looking for is just like that sim AngryBeth has her Pencil Factory in: Completely off the hook crazy but awesome at the same time — because it forces the user to rethink space and navigation.

You can send your SLURLs or landmarks in world to Troy Vogel.

Second Life and Learning Object design

From Barry Spencer to the SLED Listserv (13MAY07):

Hi everyone Skipper Abel here and anyone that has met up with me in SL or teleported over to my beach house at Shimmer Island will know that I am looking at SL as an extension to my work in using the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment at Bromley College.

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Just lately I have been thinking about how Learning Objects should be in SL. I have created a number of these in RL and used them in my teaching. In fact you will find two of them that I put together using CourseGenie in my C tutorials at the Island, but these are typically web based Learning Objects, and I am thinking that when it comes to SL, I should try to make them use some of the unique features that are available.

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So I would like to invite anyone who has the time to pop over to Shimmer Island and try this first attempt out.

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I have rezzed the object, a short computer history lesson onto the ground floor of the beach house with a sign board next to it, just click on the screen then stand back and watch. At the moment I am only looking at the media apsects of the project, which uses chat, textures and objects, stuff like navigation will come along later. If you do have time to come over and take a look, I would of course appreciate any feedback please, an IM would be fine , just let me have your impressions, the whole thing only lasts just over 4 minutes.

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http://tinyurl.com/2tv3ah

Linden to outsource Second Life orientation

...this could provide some better starting points for students, and you may want to get your institution involved in this programme and create your own orientation experiences.

http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/05/04/new-orientation-islands-take-off/

Taken from posting by Sean FitzGerald (04-MAY-07) to SLED Listserv.

The Benjamin Center and Educator Training

The Benjamin Center offers workshops and private consultations to teach beginning, intermediate and advanced platform navigation in Second Life and training in basic educational tools, professional presentations and content creation.

We also have several free classes in basic building, texturing and helpful SL tools (notecard vendors, hovertext and basic signs).

Every Thursday afternoon (4 PM SLT) there is an educator discussion around the Benjamin Center Lodge. This is unmoderated discussion and takes on a life of its own. Usually several different conversations at different areas around the lodge.

Everyone is welcome to visit us in-world or take a look at the website, both are still under developement. If you have questions you can't find at either place, please email me off list.

SLURL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tintafel/48/144//?title=Charles%20Benjamin%20Center

Posted to SLED listserv, 02 May 2007, by Carla R. Herrera

SciLands Group Tells World "Hello, We Exist"

The SciLands is a new group of science and technology sims. They've been organizing for a few months and now they've announced their presence in an official press release, which you can read over at their website.

Photo: Mad Scientist by powerbooktrance on Flickr Creative Commons

International Spaceflight Museum Spaceport Bravo Grand Opening Week

The International Spaceflight Museum (ISM) in Second Life is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of our second 16-acre sim, known as Spaceport Bravo. To celebrate the Grand Opening, the ISM will host a week long celebration beginning on May 5th 2007 starting with the official opening, and a celebration of the 46th anniversary of Alan Shepherd's historic flight into space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft. This week-long celebration will include the unveiling of many new exhibits, lectures, demonstrations, rocket launches and dancing.

Spaceport Bravo joins Spaceport Alpha as host to the premier space museum in Second Life and enhances the collection of exhibits pioneered on Spaceport Alpha. Included in the new sim are new highly detailed exhibits of the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), the Space Shuttle, new rockets and a full-size version of the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) - the world's third largest building (by volume). The VAB, built by NASA to construct the Saturn V, stands 184 metres high and contains an interior volume of 3.66 million cubic metres, all of which have been duplicated in Second Life.

Lectures will include special lectures by Prospero Frobozz (Dr. Robert A. Knop Jr. in real life)entitled "The Power of the Dark Side : How we know that the Universe is filled with Dark Matter and Dark Energy", Troy McLuhan, ISM Director, who will tell the story of Alan Shepherd, Kat Lemieux, ISM President, who will speak on the History of the ISM, and Patio Plasma, Director of the Splo Museum in Second Life and Planetary Physicist in real life, who will give a presentation titled "Roving Mars: What is it like to be on the surface of the red planet?".

In addition to formal lectures, ISM builders will be on hand to unveil their new exhibits along with conducting information chats, tours and question and answer sessions. Throughout the week there will be an entertainment venue on Second Life's largest dance floor (the roof of the Vehicle Assembly Building), Rocket Launches and Fireworks. In addition, visitors will receive a gift bag of special gifts including a commemorative model of the Freedom 7 Spacecraft, a T-shirt and other goodies.

Members of the press can receive a preview tour of Spaceport Bravo. Please contact Troy McLuhan, Lora Chadbourne or Emileigh Starbrook inworld to arrange a preview visit.

Links:

Schedule of Events:
http://slispaceflightmuseum.org/drupal/node/165

Spaceport Alpha SLurl:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Alpha/48/83/24

Spaceport Bravo SLurl:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Bravo/12/80/23

Posted to SLED listserv, 27 APRIL 2007, by Troy McConaghy