Katethegreat5's Blog

Last Day

katethegreat5 — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:59:33 +0000

(All my friends right before the bomb went off!)Yesterday was our last day of class. I can’t believe that I am saying this but I think I am a little sad. I am going to miss my avatar friends. This proves one thing. I have proven to myself that you can actually build reationships with people on second life. I think that the anonymous liberty that you get on second life to create..well really who ever you want to create allows for more interesting people. I have enjoyed going to class everyday and seeing what all the different types of people have to offer. I enjoyed touring all of the final builds to see what people came up with. I thought it was interesting to see all the different types of ideas/ creations. I had a little trouble yesterday repositioning my clouds…but I finnaly got them ready for the final presentation. The cloud particle machine that I mentioned earlier (the one that withers away) ..I decided to put it back in my inventory and put it our right before it starts on Saturday. I tried putting it out yesterday and it seemed to work ok! I hope this works I really want the public who comes to our builds to enjoy what we have been working on. Overall, our team strategy to assign parts, then split up (but to all be working on our projects at the same time in sl in case we need to im each other) worked very efficiently. We got our work done on time, and had time to do user testing with Kim. I think that presenting your project in sl is easier than in real life because you are not intensely studying the body language of your observers. For some reason, I had much more confidence while answering the questions and comments that the user testers were making. I think it was interesting how much confidence I gained during our class. I now “chat” more after I have seen how open everyone is to any type of comment. Also, flying does not make me sick anymore! However, I am still not very good at it and obviously still prefer walking!! Overall this was a great class, and it made me think about how kids who need speech therapy might benefit from this.

Vegas!

katethegreat5 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:49:46 +0000

Heres a little sneak peak of what all the projects are looking like. …I thought it was interesting hearing about Brian’s wedding today. He and Aeryana (I know I butchered this name) talked about how they got married “Vegas” style. She told us about the proposal, and he told us about how he got the ring free on xstreet. I wonder if they were more apt do to this because of the movie the Hangover. I find this very interesting because I most assuredly left the movie theater thinking I have GOT TO GO TO VEGAS. And then my conscious set in and I remembered I have class and a job that will not allow this right now. I never thought to go there in second life. I wonder if I would have been satisfied? I am thinking I might have to try it after class is over! This brings up an interesting point to me about second life. I wonder if people fulfill real life wants and needs through second life? I am starting to think so. I think going to a place like Vegas in second life (if there is one…which I am sure there is at least something like it) is a great idea! I cant believe I am saying this..but it does seem like a very inexpensive way to fill a fleeting feeling of wanting to go somewhere. Especially if you can spend real money and gamble like you would in vegas. However, if I was feeling the urge to go somewhere like the beach, I feel like sl would not be as efficient. I think this is so because the beach is all about feeling the sun on your skin and getting in the ocean. Vegas on the other hand is more about gambling only. I feel like if second life creators focus on vacation spots that are activity focused, that they could make a lot of money. ( I must recognize that I bet a ton of this is already happening in second life and I am just unaware). Anyways, our group project is mostly done, we are now looking for someone to do some user testing with it. I hope it goes well! I am looking forward to the final presentation.

Group Work cont.

katethegreat5 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:01:00 +0000

We have came a long way with our land from the first picture! Our group’s “get it done” attitude is paying off! Today was my first day using xstreet. I was amazed with all it had to offer. It is definately like the second life ebay. I do not like how it makes you “by default” use pay pal. (Although I am told that there is a way to pay by credit card however I could never figure it out..which is not saying much) Anyway I did not want xstreet purchases on paypal account so I was stubborn and did not buy ANYTHING! This was very hard for me because there were many inticing options. Anyway…So for our weather group.. I am in charge of explaining/making clouds. I have had a little trouble finding clouds on the search (there were MANY cool options on xstreet which I chose to ignore). However after a little communication with sellers, I was led to a couple places that offered cool options. I am experiencing a few problems with the clouds through. For one, I bought a cloud particle implosion machine because I thought it would be cool to feel like you were inside a cloud, which would help explain what clouds are made of. So I first placed it where I wanted it and it looked like a cloud particle tornado! However, after a few hours it now looks like a few random particles floating all around with no purpose! I want my particle tornado back! I tried putting it back into my inventory and then back on the land and this helped a little so I guess I will do this on the day of the presentation and just have to be satisfied with the resuts. Another thing, I bought these cool sunset clouds from an island shop. They are long and thin and look like the best stratus clouds on the market lol. However, on day two of being on our island they turned white! Which is not ok because I identified them by the RED clouds, but after tinkering with the texture for a bit I got them back to red and I hope they stay this way! So I was pretty happy with my sl problem solving skills..for now.

Group Work

katethegreat5 — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:52:40 +0000

I like this picture because the tv reminds me how much detail people go into in second life……Today in second life we broke up into our groups to work on our final projects. I liked how our group let everyone state what he/she was interested in, and then made our decision what to do our project on based on everyones interest. This, to me, makes it interesting for all and sets up a good foundations for hopefully a successful project. Deciding on a topic as a group brought up an interesting point to me. I realized that while everyone (including me) was throwing out ideas, I suddenly realized i could not read the expressions on my group members real life faces. I did not like this because it was hard for me to tell which topic each person really liked or didn’t. I found myself wondering if each member really liked the idea, or if he/she appeared to be more passive in a virtual setting due to the fact that their natural reactions could not be read by others. In some situations I feel like this could be used to a persons advantage. For example, a highly emotional person is able to appear like he/ she “has it together” more than they might seem in real life. Also, this might be useful with group work in groups (business groups or school groups) that have a history of not getting along well. For example, if there are people at work that don’t get along, but are forced to work together, second life might be a nice, neutral meeting ground for these people. This might be true because second life (for the most part) does not reveal someone’s aggravated tone or sarcastic facial expressions. However, as we have also proven second life also works well for group meetings for those who get along well and communicate effectively. I have come to appreciate how convienient it is to log on from home, and at the same time collaborate with one another as if we are sitting in the same room. Also, I have been excited to learn about how second life can be used to make science more exciting to junior high and middle school students. I am looking forward to seeing how everyone’s projects pan out.

Builds

katethegreat5 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:48:42 +0000

I really liked our trips today to the builds to see how everyones creativity differs. It has been a long time coming since our original condo builds. I remember struggling even to move a rug where i wanted it! Now i can proudly say that I (sort of) know how to terraform and landscape. I really enjoyed building and shopping to decorate our lagoon. I especially liked how our group split up the task and allotted time for everyone to do their task independently, and then meet to put it all together. I feel like our lagoon was a hit for the most part. The mud wrestling was a little vulgar, but did provide humor. I learned that the “cuddling” options don’t work as well for a group oriented place. It was a little hard to navigate due to the changing landscape of our build, but I did think we did the best we could with a small tour and then letting people loose to entertain themselves. I personally did not like the WWII build because I felt claustrophobic and have never liked the James Bond type video games with little instruction on the actual point of the game. However, it was very detailed and I acknowledge the large amount of work that it took. I liked the 6th street build, and how the creators tried to make it similar to the actual 6th street. I liked how it was easy to find/keep up with what the group was doing. The only suggestion i might have for that build would be to add in more creative things that people arent able to do in real life, such as maybe a club that you could dance on the ceiling, upside down or something. All in all i liked the build, and they were very fun for the twenty minutes allotted. Also, I did a lot of shopping on my own to help with my groups build. I went to one place to buy tropical trees and was able to ask the worker for exactly what i wanted and she teleported me to a place that had exactly what i needed! I especially enjoyed her helpfulness.

Virtual Field Trips

katethegreat5 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 05:41:41 +0000

Another learning experience in second life! Today I thought it was very interesting to go on our class then instructor guided field trips. I thought it was interesting seeing/searching for all the interesting places available. The first place, the ski resort was apparently built for couples. This brings up the old question of is having a relationship in second life cheating if you have a real life relationship with someone else.? I think personally that this romantic get away qualifies cheating because people are going away together and spending “romantic” experiences together. I also thought the tour to the “game place” was fun, however did find the riding around to cause more sickness. This brings up a burning question of mine, does having fun in second life mean that a person is having fun in real life? I guess this differs for different people. For me personally, it is a little like torture watching my avatar have all the fun! It makes me want to go out and do these things in real life! We also went on a tour to the music academy. We took a tour through space and the internet apparently. I have to admit I was confused for most of the tour, which might have been the point?? not sure. Also, I thought our class discussion was interesting if the tour was actually a place. I liked hearing the differing opinions, but struggled with understanding some of the comments. I also thought interesting the discussion on if students could learn efficiently with this classroom/ teaching style. I guess I am just too old fashioned to think a completely virtual environment would be ideal. I think it might be beneficial to do some days virtual, and some days in class, with a possible lab hour required for real life person to person discussions. I do not think i would be able to learn things such as calculus or a foreign language virtually because i am the type that needs to write it down and work it out. However i do think some classes like english might work virtually (and save students time not having to actually go to class!)

Hopefully (for my first life’s sake) I wont get married in second life

katethegreat5 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:33:07 +0000

Today I am feeling more confident about second life. I am getting more and more use to the build option and feel like I am getting better at it! Much improved from the other day. I thought learning about how people get married in second life was very interesting, especially because some people dont tell their real life spouses! I think this brought up an interesting converstaion. Do people feel real feelings in second life? To me I thought this impossible at first. However, I am slowly seeing how real this second life is. I can see how people actually meet other people and fall in love. I think this has much to do with how second life is user generated. Users are allowed to be completely themselves (even in an altered) state, and say whatever they like. I can see how some even enter conversations with more confidence due to the extra time given to speak. I think it is interesting how second life takes away the turn taking time limitations that individuals place on one another. In a normal conversation, one analyzes his or her conversational partner somewhat on the amount of time it takes for him/her to respond. If someone responds too slowly, they might be misinterpreted as slow/not informed on the topic/ or nervous. I think second life for the most part takes this conversational stressor away. I think this is very interested when one thinks of someone who stutters. Stuttering sometimes can be simply a result of the anxiousness one builds while trying to keep up in a conversation. On another note, one think I struggle from in second life is the demensions that you view on the computer. I do not like how you can go in between walls (though I acknowledge that it also might be worse if you couldnt zoom through walls) while zooming your view in and out. I get a queazy feeling in my stomach when my avatar is stuck on one floor of the condo and I am looking at the ceiling of another. I might be cool to see from the eyes of your avatar, but I also acknowldege that this might bring equally as annoying problems.

Second Life Thoughts

katethegreat5 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:32:48 +0000

Today was another challenging day of second life for me. I enjoyed looking through other avatar’s condos and was surprised to see how personal each one was. I was amused at the creativity of others who thought of things I did not think would be appropriate in a virtual world. I continue my struggle with how real this program is. I have never been a gamer before and did not even know something like this existed. Before this class the computer and internet only served as a tool used for school and an occasional search engine. Of course I have facebook (my friends set me up an account), but I use it very sparsely. I think it is interesting how the creator’s of second life set it up for users to build the world as they like it. Also, I think it is interesting to observe how people choose to portray themselves, whether it be comically, uniquely, or realistically. I also think the humor in second life is interesting. It is strange to me what people think is funny, and what they do not. I guess this is something I will get used to. I feel like I never know what is appropriate to say, what will be funny, or even ignored. However due to the partial ability to remain anonymous, I do feel more comfortable to speak my mind than in everyday situations. It is humorous to me to hear others talking in a more sophisticated computer language that I don’t understand. Its like I am forced to listen to conversations that I normally would not hear in everyday life. I feel like it is challenging sometimes to say something that you feel is appropriate for the whole group instead of how in most situations one talks mostly to one or a few people at a time. On another note, one very negative thing about second life (for me personally) is the actual feeling I get when my avatar is flying around. I hate your avatar’s vision can be zoomed in and out and that you can move through buildings. I feel almost a constant state of dizziness/ sea sickness/ stomach falling(ness). However, I am trying to stay positive about my second life experience due to the apparent time I am about to spend with it. Time does pass quickly in the virtual, thank goodness. Hopefully more positive thoughts to come….

Hello world!

katethegreat5 — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:17:41 +0000

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