Launching into Second Life

Come Explore Cambridge History in a Virtual World!

Colin — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:05:32 -0400

Come to CCTV on July 16 to learn how individuals and organizations are using the virtual world Second Life.

During the event, we will provide an overview of virtual worlds and present our proposal to create an historical re-creation of a physical location in Cambridge using Second Life in 2008-2009.

The goal is to present our project - created by you! - at the grand re-opening of the new Cambridge Main Library set for Fall 2009.

Join our CCTV online group for updates.

This event is sponsored by Cambridge Public Library and CCTV.

(Photo above by Pathfinder Linden available under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)

Launching into Second Life

Non-Profits in Second Life

Colin — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:38:29 -0400

We are planning an event here at CCTV in June to ask for your input on how we might begin to use the virtual world Second Life.

In advance of our meeting, I've been doing some exploring to find out which non-profits are currently using Second Life and why?

I found this short video by Susan Denby @ TechSoup on blip.tv:

"An eye-opening two-minute video on what Second Life, the online virtual world, is all about and what nonprofits can get out of participating. Check out what TechSoup is doing to create a community of nonprofits in Second Life."

There's also a great list of "Where to find non-profits in Second Life" online at rikomatic.com. read more...

Launching into Second Life

Second Life Community Forum Planning

Colin — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:54:59 -0400

Here are the notes from a discussion that Aubree and I recently had about planning a public forum to discuss the possibilities of using the virtual world Second Life, here at CCTV:

Overview

Invite CCTV members and Cambridge residents to:
o Learn more about communities in Second Life
o Give input on uses of SL @ CCTV
o Ideally the event is, itself, an example of using the medium to facilitate conversation and inspire new ideas and new approaches

Presentation - June 24, 2008

Very very very basic introduction to SL
o Define avatar (what are we looking 'at'?)
o Movement (teleport/fly)
o Inventory (just so they know where stuff is coming "from")
o Lindens (as briefly as possible)

What role can SL play?
o Broadcast medium
o Production format
o Teaching & learning tool
o Meeting space

Show examples of SL communities
o Political campaigns
o Artist community
o Video/film community
o Machinema
o Education/NMC Campus read more...

Launching into Second Life

Second Life: A Classroom for ESOL

AubreeAnn — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:51:59 -0400

(Left: Ms. Carmichael hangs out at an assessment station on SL English, while (a younger) Ms. Lawrence instructs an ESOL class for BA&CE)

Second Life is has incredible potential as a learning platform. I was excited to read on Forbes.com that an English language school in Germany has launched an island "Second Life English." The island is dedicated to offering FREE (yes, you read that right, FREE) resources for learning English, including virtual ESOL lessons. According to the article, Educator (and island owner) Kip Boahn "feels a new medium calls for a new way of teaching language. Even using the game's English interface gives students a chance to practice what they've learned." I couldn't agree more! I enjoy his approach:

During workshops, he uses a team of teachers to present students with
different linguistic tasks, which could include anything from asking
for directions to bargaining to buy a knickknack. To do those tasks,
Boahn and his colleagues use "holodecks," rooms that can flip through
as many as 40 different scenes at the mere click of a mouse. Want to
practice ordering American fast food? Just switch the holodeck to
Dara's Diner and line up at the counter. read more...

Launching into Second Life

What is the meaning of Second Life?

AubreeAnn — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:12:24 -0400

Um, I don’t actually know, I’m still working on figuring out the meaning of my first life... BUT I’d love to know of any other questions you have!

CCTV is planning to do a public presentation later in April to introduce the CCTV Community to Second Life. As part of planning the event I’d love to get feedback on what things members would be interested in seeing during the tour!

I’d like to show everyone the different media distribution methods (see Tuesday’s post) so we can consider CCTV’s options for the Virtual CMC. …I also want to answer questions you may have about Second Life culture, potential for creative expression... anything! What would you like to learn about? Drop me a line in the comments below, and stay tuned for details on the when and where of the presentation!

Launching into Second Life

An overview of Production, Content, and Distribution channels in Second Life

AubreeAnn — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:56:00 -0400

A quick glossary:
SL - Second Life, a virtual world that we are currently exploring to expand CCTV into the virtual realm
RL - This means "Real Life" and refers to actions that happen outside of the SL environment (sort of what it sounds like)
"In-world" - Believe it or not, this mean IN the Second Life world (not in our world)
CCTV - Cambridge Community Television
VCMC - CCTV's Virtual Community Media Center
SLURL: An internet address (url) that will teleport you to a place in SL. You must have SL installed to use this feature.

Got all that? ;)

The Cambridge Community Television Station is looking to capitalize on the emergence of virtual worlds as a new platform for education, production, and distribution. To better understand how other media centers are using Second Life, I investigated the models employed by SL's most popular media outlets. The companies I explored each have a different approach to production, content, and distribution. Understanding these various models may give us insight on how to best approach launching the Virtual CMC. read more...

Launching into Second Life

Window Shopping is Work!

AubreeAnn — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:28:35 -0500

This week I’ve started assembling a budget for the CCTV in Second Life project. This, of course, meant one of my favorite Second Life activities – shopping!

In Second Life, all of the content is user-created. One cannot help but be impressed with the creativity displayed in the objects for sale. The picture was taken in the Kunst Furniture Store, just one of many places to buy office furniture. There are so many choices in just this one store! read more...

Launching into Second Life

CCTV Starts plans to 'virtually' break new grounds!

AubreeAnn — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:43:25 -0500

As part of its 20th Anniversary celebrations, CCTV will be launching it’s presence in Second Life (SL), an online virtual world. The project is an effort to reflect on CCTV’s remarkable history using a medium that will speak to CCTV’s determination to remain a cutting edge leader in cable access programming.

To help get us started, we’ll be looking at other non-profit communities as potential partners who can offer us their experience getting organized in SL, as well as Cambridge community partners who would benefit long term from a SL presence. read more...

Launching into Second Life

What do YOU think of when you hear "CCTV"?

AubreeAnn — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:25:33 -0500

The first thing that pops to my mind is the hot pink CCTV neon sign I see anytime I cruise (in car/bus, on foot or on my bike) past the station!

What do YOU think of when you hear "CCTV"? Is it a favorite edit room? The Be Live set? The friendly faces at the front desk?

CCTV is in the early stages of designing a space in the virtual world Second Life*. We want to capture some of the more iconic aspects of CCTV and recreate them to establish a "feel" for the virtual station.

So let me hear it! What was the first thing you thought of when you read the title above. Something popped to mind, that's why you're still reading! So go ahead, comment below and list 1 or 2 or even 10 things that come to mind when you hear the name "CCTV!" Thanks!

*You'll be hearing more and more about Second Life in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!