Kevin Jarrett writes a delightful blog post about his edu-evening in Second Life. It’s a great description of community without walls.
When Virtual Worlds Collide | The Story of My “Second Lifeâ€:
So I’m covering my docent shift at ISTE HQ, and things are sorta quiet, as they have been lately … I’m chatting with Ellen Starostin, a fellow docent … so I decide to Twit that I’m there, knowing a few other SLers are probably just a mouse click away from providing me some company … sure enough, within moments, I’ve crowdsourced a small gathering of folks! Teacher, Lupin, Ellen and two new friends from Twitter, Heyjude Jenns and Ruby Lmako.
For years, I’ve wondered who HeyJude is…
Hi David, now that the mystery of who Heyjude is has been solved, I hope we you’ll greet me with a wink when we finally meet in SL or RL! By the way, thanks for all your inspiration…even to us folk ‘downunder’.
Oh, and I should also say, that Kevin showed us your office as part of our EduIsland tour. So got close to meeting you 🙂 Kevin was a delightfully gracious host.
Hi David,
Thanks, it truly was one of those serendipitous moments that makes SL so wonderful and addictive. I don’t know about the rest of SL but the education spaces I frequent (particularly ISTE) somehow manage to have a constant stream of fascinating people from all over the USA and the world.
I’ve often wondered what it is about the people in SL that make the experience so engaging. Someone explained it to me once by offering a psychological profile of the ‘typical’ educational SL’er … something along the lines of … highly creative … intellectually curious … people (friendship) driven … not afraid to make mistakes and learn … not easily frustrated … which sounds to me like a profile of a typical elementary school student. Ha! *NOW* I know why it’s so much fun. It’s just like my ‘day’ job! 😉
Kevin Jarrett
K-4 Technology Facilitator
Northfield Community School
-and-
Part-Time Faculty
Walden University Graduate School of Education