I have been discussing with my avatar friends (colleagues, students) about the example and the cases of good learning experiences in the Second Life. Many different issues have arisen, but one common opinion has been on the agenda as an important issue almost in every discussion and dialog: good SL-learning units or objects should extremely well structured. For example, if the learning objects are used, they should be organised in the clear serie format. Otherwise the learnest will get lost easily.

One course may be a house or one stair of the house with the doors from the one activity room (task or learning object) to the next activity room. In the virtual world the tasks and activities should be more clear than in the learning situations of the real life. One can travel and surf with the avatar to so many directions and with so many different styles that is is easy to lose the horizont and scope very soon. That is why the structuration of the guidance and activities is in the centre of the mentoring and tutoring of the tutor avatar.

How to show video clips in SL?

I have met people in SL every friday and learned a lot. Discussions and travelling (teleporting) together with other avatars are interesting. Also many seminars have opened many new routes for me developing skills and thinking. Yet, some very basic SL-skills are still missing. For example, I have not yet managed to show video clips in SL, just used some my outside links (Youtube etc.). Too busy, should slow down a little?

The Building of eRappu in SL: Tag Cloud

The team of eRappu have been discussed several times what kind of building could we
construct. The team agreed that the purpose is not to copy or repeat the old 'classroom and blackboard' tradition to the second life, ie.transfer of bad habbits. This desicion led us to severe troubles and we learned immediately why it is so practical to stay in tradition: all the good modern new ideas seemed to be after few minutes of evaluation stupid and we began to take steps back and forward endlessly. But you have to start from somewhere. So we desiced to be somewhat less critical and now we have there on the eRappu site a construction called 'Tag Cloud'.

The basic idea of the Tag Cloud is that it is not a building at all but a group of clouds, or tags, where you can study, communicate and learn together with others. The learning assessories are missing so far because we have not yet learned to create them. It took some time to figure out how to build a cloud and I have to admit that my solution is still a glumsy one. This is what we call an raw idea which is, of course, also the methaphora of the tagging activity which refers to the folksonomy (versus official taxonomy). This raw idea we are going to develope to one or other direction yet unknown to us. All the fruitfull and stupid comments and ideas are more than welcome to us. Also somebody could teach us how to create instruments like a place for written feed back and a place of platform to read together texts.

Virtual environments

I have so far two places in the internet outside of the SL:
this blogger web log and additionally Face Book. I hope that those avatars who are interested in the use of the SL in the higher education, will become to my face book friends!

The Site

I have been constructed with my friend avatars our eRappu estate there on the island. We have tried several constructions. First we had only one building of two rooms. Then I made same terraces and planted some trees and grass on the yard near the water. Then we though that what if we abandon those very similarities with the first life, or RL if you like, and start to build something more 'virtual'. One reason for that is that our coal is to discuss about the ideal learning environment during the construction process. Perhaps our place will never be finished but that is the second life, never ending process until the servers collaps on us. Like learning.

Education

I was in the conference on the Island of the Edufinland. There were moments I heard clearly the presentetations but some hearing problems also ocurred. The real life creature also disturbed couple of times.It was interesting to hear how some teachers have started to develope a business course where the students practise using the real Lindens. Starting capitals for the students were donated by the University, because this was a pilot project. I wonder how they will manage with the Lindens in the following implementations.

Birth

I was birth on October 2008 in the Edufinland island. The exact location of my birth is the main portal of SL, but I rather think that my birth place is the eRappu estate in the island of the Edufinland.

My coal is to become an eLearning Tutor Avatar which is quite a challenge. The comparison between real life and second life is my key activity first, but after that when I have understood which are those very special features of SL eLearning tutoring I can try to practise with other avatars. Learning by doing is on my agenda right now, at first, I think.