Friday, May 30, 2014

2014 EDU: OPENSIM: WRITE: Teaching creative writing in a virtual world: How get the world.

Teaching creative writing in a virtual world: 
Storytelling and world building.  
How do we get the world built?
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What is the best way for creative writing students to construct their story world in Opensim? 
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I found queries in Virtual Worlds Best Practices In Education asking for advice on how creative writing students might create a story world in Opensim presenting the world in which their story is placed.  The options suggested were:
  • learn in-world building?  
  • 3D design program like Blender?   
  • combination?  
  • design what they want and have actual virtual builders create their world?
Since there may be others with somewhat the same quest, I am publishing my response

Don't think building first.  Think researching to find what is already available at zero or little cost.  Here are a few places to start:  
In particular you can get whole sims already built and furnished (OAR files).  More are becoming available all the time.  If you check with Seanchai in Kitely, you might even find some that they can make available to you--worlds built specifically to fit with story-telling or experience training.
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If you start with most of the building done by other sources, your students can concentrate on the story and on creations that are essential to the story.
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I suggest that along with the initial story planning, you send students on a treasure hunt on the web (web research) to find suitable builds (OAR files, or packaged builds).  They will develop their web search skills (skills of broad application and high value).  If they find some OAR files of interest to them, the OAR files can be uploaded into a grid.  If not to the grid you are working with, then certainly to Kitely or Sim-on-a-Stick (SOAS).
You might have the students meet in a few of these worlds and imagine stories that might fit in these worlds. 
  • What would be the quests?
  • Who would be the characters? 
  • Who would be the protagonists? The antagonists?
  • Etc. 
Perhaps you would have them play out (improvise) some scenes.   They might find that this helps them in writing the dialog for the scene and perhaps in understanding the characters.
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I also suggest that you consider adding video production to the project.  Scroll down for help on making videos in the virtual worlds.
  • Video of the improvisation
  • Video of scene rehearsal
  • Video of a final performance
  • Post on YouTube
  • Send info to parents
  • Students can include in portfolio to college or job application
  • Send press release to bloggers
  • Present at Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education next year

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News and Notes

Related blog posts, upcoming, current, and recent events
Scroll down for news and notes

U.S. Army Research Lab’s Simulation & Training Technology Center announced an open postdoctoral position on the MOSES team, which is working to develop the MOSES OpenSim grid and associated technologies.   Hypergrid Business

    Around the virtual worlds  

    Arts

    • The Spotlight Theatre League, in association with Lady Garden Cabaret, 
    • is auditioning for the musical Rent in Second Life    
    • The performance will be held October 30th at 7pm slt
    • Auditions will be held June 9th - 13th from 1pm to 4pm slt
    • in the showroom at the Lady Garden Cabaret.
    • Location Link. Click to go or drag to the viewer screen:
    • http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Liberty%20Coast/161/111/1201
    • Please contact Brad Mactavish in Second Life to schedule an audition.

      Writing

      Web resources

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      Video-Machinima in virtual worlds
      *****

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      Thursday, May 29, 2014

      2014 PROMO: VIDEO: This Is a Generic Brand Video. You can learn a lot from a parody

      This Is a Generic Brand Video.  
      You can learn a lot from a parody
      Scroll down for news and notes
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      A great collection of cliche's.  What makes a cliche'?  Lots of people use it.  Put a lot of cliche's together and you get a parody.  Laugh.  But take a closer look.  Why did advertisers use these cliche's?  Got the answer?  How could you use that answer in your next promotional effort? 
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      **********************************************

      News and Notes

      Related blog posts, upcoming, current, and recent events

      U.S. Army Research Lab’s Simulation & Training Technology Center announced an open postdoctoral position on the MOSES team, which is working to develop the MOSES OpenSim grid and associated technologies.   Hypergrid Business

        Around the virtual worlds  

        Arts

        • The Spotlight Theatre League, in association with Lady Garden Cabaret, 
        • is auditioning for the musical Rent in Second Life    
        • The performance will be held October 30th at 7pm slt
        • Auditions will be held June 9th - 13th from 1pm to 4pm slt
        • in the showroom at the Lady Garden Cabaret.
        • Location Link. Click to go or drag to the viewer screen:
        • http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Liberty%20Coast/161/111/1201
        • Please contact Brad Mactavish in Second Life to schedule an audition.

          Writing

          Web resources

          ******

          Video-Machinima in virtual worlds
          *****

          Posted by at 1 comment:
          Labels: ,

          Wednesday, May 28, 2014

          2014 STAGE: VIDEO: “Evening at the Ballet” by Ballet Pixelle®

          Video excerpts: “Evening at the Ballet”  by Ballet Pixelle®
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          • "Evening at the Ballet" will  be presented in Second Life
          • Sundays and Wednesdays at 5:00 pm  California time
          • during the spring season

          "Evening at the Ballet" is a pure ballet in the classical sense.  These dances in celebration of spring include both old favorites as well as new soon-to-be favorites.  Animations and choreography is by Inarra Saarinen. 
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          "Evening at the Ballet" is the perfect ballet to bring a friend, sweetheart, or group to experience.


          Dances include 

          • Couleurs de la Danse, 
          • Spanish Dance, 
          • Dance for Me,
          • Rhapsody in Red, 
          • Corelli Solos, 
          • Message of the Violet, 
          • Archidance, 
          • Giselle, and Cygnets. 

          Music includes original works by: 

          • Adolphe Adam, 
          • Kurt Bestor, 
          • Arcangelo Corelli, 
          • Alex de Ravenswood, 
          • Gideon Freudmann ,
          • Pyotyr Tchaikovsky.
          Discussions follow all performances.
          Come early because seats fill quickly.

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          Ballet Pixelle® is the first performing ballet company in the virtual global community Second Life®.  Says the Company's founder, Inarra Saarinen, “As artistic director of the Company since its inception, I have enormous pride in Ballet Pixelle.  Our goal is to investigate and explore the interaction and intersection of physical and virtual dance and blended realities.  We are excited to celebrate the future of dance.  We are dancing into the digital future!”
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          Members of Ballet Pixelle come together from all over the world, including Japan, Europe, and North America. Animations are created by Inarra Saarinen and put into dance phrases.  There are no artificial synchronizing devices and the dancers truly perform dancing with each other and the music.  Each performance is truly live and unique, and takes advantage of the characteristics of Second Life to extend the art of the ballet in new directions.

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          For More Information

          For more information on Ballet Pixelle, search for the group "Ballet Pixelle" in Second Life and join the group to receive notices of all performances, auditions, newsletters, and other news and invitations.  There is also a Subscribe Service in the theatre which allows you to receive notices without joining the group.
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          Our web site is: www.balletpixelle.org.
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          Machinimas (videos) and information on previous ballets, information on auditions, current Company members' bios and photos, newsletters, press and reviews, etc. are available on these sites.
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          For Ballet Pixelle work done under the name Second Life Ballet you can search YouTube for Second Life Ballet or see the www.balletpixelle.org website.
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          Or write info@balletpixelle.org
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          Related

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          News and Notes

          Related blog posts, upcoming, current, and recent events
          Scroll down for news and notes

          U.S. Army Research Lab’s Simulation & Training Technology Center announced an open postdoctoral position on the MOSES team, which is working to develop the MOSES OpenSim grid and associated technologies.   Hypergrid Business

            Around the virtual worlds  

            Arts

            • The Spotlight Theatre League, in association with Lady Garden Cabaret, 
            • is auditioning for the musical Rent in Second Life    
            • The performance will be held October 30th at 7pm slt
            • Auditions will be held June 9th - 13th from 1pm to 4pm slt
            • in the showroom at the Lady Garden Cabaret.
            • Location Link. Click to go or drag to the viewer screen:
            • http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Liberty%20Coast/161/111/1201
            • Please contact Brad Mactavish in Second Life to schedule an audition.

              Writing

              Web resources

              ******

              Video-Machinima in virtual worlds
              *****

              Posted by at 2 comments:
              Labels: ,

              Monday, May 26, 2014

              2014 NEW: OPENSIM: Linda Kellie's Freebie Mall. Get your wants or get it all. A world of free.

              Linda Kellie's Freebie Mall
              Get your wants or get it all
              A world of free.  
              Updated 1/30/2016
              • Clothing, furniture, houses, decorations, building supplies, textures.
              • Licensed for any use, including commercial use, with no attribution required.
              • Get it all: Download your own stuff 
              Linda Kellie's Freebie Mall

              Visit in Kitely 

              • Paste this hop into the address bar of Firestorm, Press Enter 
              • hop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Linda%20Kellie%20Freebie%20Mall%202/128/128/23
              • Closed to Hypergrid
              • Linda Kellie Resources: Zadaroo
              • Free access: sponsored by Hypergrid Business
              Read more »
              Posted by at 2 comments:
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              Sunday, May 25, 2014

              2014 VIDEO: EDU: MAD lab: Mosquitos and mosquito control. Pooky Media

              MAD Lab:  Mosquitos and mosquito control 
              Pooky Media
              Scroll down for news and notes
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              Related 
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              Merced County in California needed to upgrade and modernize their Vector Control outreach to schools in their county. They called us to create a mixed reality film to increase awareness of the threats that mosquitoes pose to people and animals. We were asked to help educate on how the professionals in this important arena help maintain a safe environment for all. The film has met with great success for the program. Speaking to the audience in a language they really understand!  -- Pookie media

              Read more »
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              Friday, May 23, 2014

              2014 STAGE: Selections: Heartbreak House: A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes, George Bernard Shaw

              Selections: Heartbreak House: George Bernard Shaw
              A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes
              Scroll down for news and notes
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              • Selections from ACT I of George Bernard Shaw's 
              • HEARTBREAK HOUSE 
              • "A Fantasia in the Russian Manner on English Themes” 
              • Friday, May 23rd at 5pm SLT
              • Avatar Repertory Theater – Plays Around
              On the eve of World War I, Ellie Dunn, her father, and her fiancé are invited to one of Hesione Hushabye’s infamous dinner parties. Unfortunately, her fiancé is a scoundrel, her father’s a bumbling prig, and she’s actually in love with Hector, Hesione’s husband. This bold mix of farce and tragedy lampoons British society as it blithely sinks towards disaster.
              • Breyda Adored
              • Rowan Shamroy
              • Kayden Oconnell
              • Ada Radius
              • Sodovan Torok
              • MadamThespian Underhill
              • Caledonia Skytower
              • Corwyn Allen

              Read more »
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              Thursday, May 22, 2014

              2014 PROMO: Using the Kitely calendar--or any other Google calendar for events

              Using the Kitely calendar--
              or any other Google calendar for events.  
              Scroll down for news and notes
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              The Kitely Calendar is attracting more event listings.  Just having the calendar seems to have stimulated more events.  At this time, most days in the near term are showing two or three events.    This article is intended to tell users and event managers how to make the best use of the Kitely calendar, and of other calendars like it.  (Hypergrid should have community centered calendars
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              Click on an event to see details and location
              Click on an image to enlarge it
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              More things you can do with a Google Calendar
              Click on an image to enlarge it
              • Zoom in
              • Scroll down for more dates 
              • Click an item to see more details.
              • Copy a location from it (A hop in hypergrid)
              • Open it in your main browser.
              • Copy the event to your Google Calendar
              Read more »
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              Wednesday, May 21, 2014

              2014 BIZ: OPENSIM: KITELY: Why would content creators think about selling in the Kitely market?

              Why would content creators think 
              about selling in the Kitely market?
              Scroll down for news and notes
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              Read more »
              Posted by at 2 comments:
              Labels: ,

              Tuesday, May 20, 2014

              2014 PEOPLE: PROMO: VIDEO: Lauren promotes SL11B

              Lauren promotes SL11B 
              Scroll down for news and notes
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              The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.-- Winston Churchill

              If there’s one thing that makes SL unique, it’s our community of users. Users from all corners of the globe come together under a single umbrella to build a community that comes from our minds and our imaginations. Everything we see, touch and use in Second Life is a product of our imaginations, our minds, and our community.

              Other links

              Previous Second Life Birthdays

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              News and Notes


              Related blog posts, upcoming, current, and recent events

              Scroll down for news and notes

              Events This Week May 20 to May 26

              Dixdeux Short Poetry Workshop – Tue, 5/20, 7 pm SLT - This week at the Short Poetry Workshop we’ll learn about the Dixdeux, - a three-lined poem of 10-10-2 syllables per line, which is where it gets its French name. When written in multiple stanzas the third line becomes a refrain. There are also several variations, so join us at the Short Poetry Library as we learn, write and share Dixdeux.
              U.S. Army Research Lab’s Simulation & Training Technology Center announced an open postdoctoral position on the MOSES team, which is working to develop the MOSES OpenSim grid and associated technologies.   Hypergrid Business

              People

              Around the virtual worlds  

              New Firestorm Viewer

              • Release 4.6.5.40833 (May 11, 2014) 
              • Voice fixes, OpenSSL update, improved 64-bit version.
              • You probably want to get dual use version

                Arts

                Writing

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                  Video-Machinima in virtual worlds
                  *****

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