Laureen Kodani | ePortfolio
 
We learned about sky building and teleports. When designing and building sims with multi-levels or multi-areas, teleport systems are a great way to make it easy for SL residents to move around. We discussed the advantages of creatively using teleport systems. Dr. Peter mentioned building an elevator in a building with several floors. When the SL resident enters and presses a specified button, the teleport simulates an elevator ride. I thought of how a teleport could be used in an airplane. The passengers sit in a seat within the fuselage and the teleport simulates a plane ride. The build activity was not bad at all which makes this function an easy one to include in a sim.

Everyone arrived at class in costumes and WOW, there were some great costumes! Brooklyn Ferris was a sushi, Kuni was Po from the movie Kung Fu Panda, jsk88 was a Japanese ronin, and so many more. We held a contest and cast our votes for the best costumes. Kahea Neopolitan and I decided to team up and add a Hawaiian twist to Adam and Eve. We created clothing and added a leaf texture and wore lei. Kahea created a male avatar to represent Wakea and I created a female avatar to represent Papa. Wakea represents the sky father and Papa represents the earth mother in Hawaiian mythology. The good news is…we won a prize for our costume! The reward was L$100!!

Here is a photo of our costumes.

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Wakea & Papa sit under a tree
 
The focus of tonight’s session was sounds, scripts, and animations. Class started out great because we visited New Hope Sound Garden. It was relaxing, no voice chat, just the sound of a fireplace crackling, crickets in the grass, mice running across the wood floor, bees, and more. The aural experience certainly enhanced my experience at this sim. The sounds really added to the visual beauty of the garden. I was also reminded of how important it is to consider audio elements when designing a sim to create an immersive environment. The good news is, our group has already begun to include sound effects to our instructional unit. With tonight’s build activities, we now have a better idea of how to accomplish this. Here is a photo of me at the garden.

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Puamelia at New Hope Sound Garden in Second Life
Okay, on the other hand, my build skills were less than satisfactory tonight!! I was frustrated because I did not complete the student greeter activity. I also did not do a very good job with the animated ice cream activity. Sigh…this means I will be spending extra time in SL to make sure I catch up with the rest of the class. AARRGGHH! Whew, I feel better now that I’ve had a chance to vent, lol.
 
Another session filled with activities. We are learning about various tools and how to create them. Although I feel a bit overwhelmed with assignments for all of my courses this semester, I also feel like I am learning so much.

Our group met after class tonight to continue brainstorming on our project. There is a lot to do!! We have to fulfill the written details of our instructional design and the build details of implementing our instruction in SL. Once again, I forgot to take pictures of our activities tonight. I suppose that is a good thing because I was focusing on improving my SL build skills. And now, I am so tired, it’s time for me to get some sleep.

Happy virtual world experiences to you all!

 
Whew!!! Tonight’s session included several activities which will help us with our final projects. My team is beginning to brainstorm on ideas. We are collaborating in a Google doc and I have included an outline of components for the instructional design process to help us along. I also included an outline of what the module may include. My brain had hit a wall for ideas so I decided to lay down a foundation. I needed to feel productive. The goal is to understand the many tools available in SL for instructional purposes and apply them in a systematic way for an effective outcome.

We practiced integrating Web content into SL, creating slideshows, and making a book. The job aids help tremendously and makes the learning process easier. All in all, I did a pretty good job. The funny thing is, I was so engrossed with the learning that I forgot to take a picture! Oh well, I’ll try to remember next time. Here are a few pictures from past SL visits…enjoy!

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