First Day

This weekend we had our first meeting of "Teaching and Learning in Virtual Worlds." The 19 of us met at the Marlboro College Grad Center location in Second Life. First we spent time on a virtual scavenger hunt seeking flags containing notes with orientation steps. We learned how to communicate via group IM and personal IM. Then we learned how to move and sit and stand. We learned about the right click pie menu and what options we had depending on what we were clicking on. The pie menu helps us change our appearance and make friends. We learned a bit about the mapping system in the mini-map tab and we could see that other avatars appear as green dots on the map. We learned how to change our view by changing the camera angle and how to take a pictures. We learned a bit about landmarks and teleporting. A surprise awaited us in the form of a cup of hot chocolate when we located a secret hidden flag.

I feel more comfortable after today and am grateful that my avatar is unhurt despite all the times she crash-landed after flying or ran into tree trunks or rocks. I can run and fly around with ease. W to walk. CTR + R to run or walk fast. E or page up to fly. C or page down to descend safely.

Here's Iris enjoying her divinity hot cocoa at Vassar College in SL at "sunrise."