The SLENZ Update – No 90, May 27, 2009

USING SECOND LIFE The SLENZ Guide for Learners SLENZ Project developer Todd Cochrane (SL: Toddles Lightworker, pictured), learning designer Leigh Blackall (SL: Leroy Goalpost) and  members of the project team  have put together a collection of notes, links, pictures, videos and comments aimed at helping people to use Second Life before and when they first [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 82, May 15, 2009

The reality of unreality When an avatar changes his/her appearance Tere Tinkel aka RL, Terry Neal Immersed in Second Life one thing you notice, as in the real world, is when another resident changes his or her appearance – especially if they  are close to you, as in a work or social relationship. I don’t mean [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 81, May 12, 2009

MIDWIFERY TUTORS ‘ENTHUSIASTIC’ Exciting introduction to SL with bonding  and play Trainers, Dr Clare Atkins and Todd Cochrane with Kate Spencely, Dr Deborah Davis and Sarah Stuart. (Pictures from Sarah  Stewart) The importance of a time for “play” when people are initiated into Second Life was reinforced for  the SLENZ Project’s joint leader, Dr Clare Atkins [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 78 , May 7, 2009

STUDENT EXPERIENCE Patience, persistence needed, but  its ‘not boring’ Rittirong Damrongkitkanwong is aey Viper in Second Life. The international nature  of virtual worlds  and of New Zealand education in general  is typified by Weltec student Rittirong Damrongkitkanwong, from Phuket Thailand (SL: aey Viper)  who is in his  third year of  a Bachelor in Information Technology  [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 73 , April 29, 2009

SL:  import-export with ‘SLENZ Shuffle’ The new ‘Arfur Daley’? Import-export “expert” bot, SLENZ Shuffle, with creator, Toddles Lightworker SLENZ Shuffle? Well he might not be the new “Arfur Daley” (of TV Minder fame) but it looks like he might be able to do a good job in the virtual world import-export business. He has already successfully [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 69, April 20, 2009

PERFORMANCE ART Bridging the  Second Life, Real Life  divide  … Dancing fingers from reality – Butler2 Evelyn (RL: Isabel Valverde) and Toddles Lightworker (RL: Todd Cochrane) in Second Life. What are we losing through living more and more encapsulated lives in crowded urban areas, following the consumption driven “modernist-technical” standard of living, becoming disconnected from [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 55, March 11, 2009

SLENZ Project progress Gearing up for RL face-to-face … Gearing up for a face-to-face meeting in Wellington, New Zealand,  in two weeks time ( March 23-24) the SLENZ Project team is  now moving  steadily forward with its three pilot programmes – Foundation learning, Midwifery and Orientation – according to joint project leader, Terry Neal (SL: [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 45, February 10, 2009

SLENZ pilot progress An outsider’s view … The creation and melding together of the design and development phases of the SLENZ pilot programmes has proven a slightly more difficult process for the SLENZ team than initially envisaged. “We are making progress, albeit slower than I anticipated or would have liked,” joint project leader Terry Neal [...]

The SLENZ Update – No 35, December 22, 2008

SLENZ Workshop: One viewpoint Workshop: Building designer, Aaron Griffiths, joint project leader (RL) Terry Neal, and lead educator Merle Lemon work on the details. Blood, sweat but no tears The SLENZ workshop held in Wellington, New Zealand, mid-December achieved the goal set for it – the initial establishment of the learning activities needed to achieve [...]