Second+Life+Prep

You'll get a Second Life for this course -- one that will enable you to sit home in your comfy clothes and sip tea while you talk about books and ideas with classmates.

The price for no actual trips to campus is not great. All you need is a fairly recent computer, a relatively fast connection, and about a $30 USB headset (USB headsets are best but our goal is that everyone can hear and be heard clearly and does not create problems for others to hear and speak. If you have ear buds or any other device that prevents our sounds from the Bookhenge from echoing back at us, then that will suffice).

To enter the NC State Wolflands, NC State's virtual campus, follow these simple steps:

* Tip: Be sure to open up a new window so you can follow these directions while you work through the process. *

Step 1: Sign up for a free account at http://www.secondlife.com It's important to create a personalized, memorable name for your avatar. Avatar??? Yep, an avatar is a virtual embodiment, an icon that will move and talk through virtual space for you. Jim Cameron has now made this a household word.

The most important part of registration is the creation of your avatar's name, the beginning of your Second Life identity. Choose carefully. Be sure to begin your first name with a capital letter unless you consciously prefer not to. You will not have an opportunity to change this name so think wisely and creatively.

There is a degree of art to creating a good name. My faves have been Reid Nitely for a librarian friend and Seymour Sideways for YA author John Green. I also lucked up with Paideia Maven for the Director of the National Paideia Center. My name 2B Writer is after my dissertation title, //Writing Life//.

Finding the perfect name will not be an easy task but be persistent and have fun coming up with something unique an just right for you.

Step 2: You'll receive a confrimation email from Second Life with a link to the Second Life browser to download. Download the browser and you're ready to go. The latest browser is Viewer 2.4 and you'll need it to watch our bookcasts in the Bookhenge. If you've used Second Life before, please do update your browser -- you'll probably get an error message to that effect.

Step 3: Sign on to the Second Life browser. From now on, you'll open up your browser that you downloaded to your computer. I've seen many newbies attempt to enter Second Life from the www.secondlife.com site. Remember that it's the browser that you'll open and sign-on to. Creating an icon for your launcher or desktop comes in handy.

Once you "rez" or appear, simply find the Search button (usually a magnifying glass icon on the left of your screen atop a column with a suitcase, globe, etc.) and search for "2B Writer." Send me a message and be sure to let me know who you are in First Life. I'll respond next time I'm inworld.

Step 4: I'll send you instructions for the next step of the process which will be to travel using the landmark I give you to USDLC's Star Island where we have a terrific tutorial trail with videos on the Multiple Intelligences you'll need in Second Life.

Believe me, the new Second Life Viewer is so much more user-friendly than any before. There's even a Help Guide that you can open in the browser and use without Second Life. That just makes so much good sense. Here's a video describing the Help Guide.

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Step 5**:** Here's a list of our meetings in the next few weeks as we get started:

Thursday, Sept. 6, 7 to 9 pm ET will be our first meeting in the Bookhenge. We'll discuss our evolving Learning Through Literature with Young Adults framework, have a preview to bookcasting, and then devote the rest of time to personalizing your avatar and developing your Second Life Multiple Intelligences. This will be a good time to get some mentoring and learn with classmates. I'll also do my brief but crucial intro to intellectual property/copyright and fair use.

So please do schedule a time, just 10 to 15 short minutes, to meet with me and I can introduce you to the Bookhenge and answer other questions you have. And if you're ready to talk about projects, we can do that, too.