SecondLife - How To Make Money In Second Life

The stage is set, a fanfare announces the arrival of the dignitaries, the audience is hushed, the Vice Chancellor approaches the podium, the graduation ceremony begins.

For a group of students on the BP Managing Projects distance-learning course run by the Manchester Business School in the UK, this was the experience that awaited them in Second Life, a fitting celebration of their hard work.  The students were awarded their certificates in the virtual world, complete with specially designed graduations gowns, lifelike avatars of dignitaries, an academic procession and speeches.

The ceremony took place in the Whitworth Room of Manchester Business School’s Second Life Island.  Created by Corporation Pop, the Whitworth Room forms part of the School’s space-age tower structure and takes inspiration (in name only!) from Whitworth Hall where the University holds its real-life graduation ceremononies.

In a chat with me about the event Dom Raban, managing director of Corporate Pop explained that: “It would be almost impossible for BPs senior executives, who are spread across the globe, to take part in a traditional awards ceremony.  By holding it virtually, we have made it possible for them to  be rewarded for their achievements with minimal disruption, saving time and money as well as reducing environmental impact.”

“Manchester Business School has always been interested in the possibilities that virtual worlds offer.  They wanted a Second Life presence that could develop in a modular fashion, becoming sticky enough to encourage long-term interaction.  The space has evolved from a place to share ideas, to a location for training courses, and now a place for students to take part in award ceremonies.”

For BP, Don Hurrle, Director of the BP Project and Engineering College said:  “This is another great innovative step forward which is in keeping with the desire to keep the Managing Projects programme at the leading edge of possibilities in modern learning and development techniques.  It is another example of how technology can reach internationally distributed BP executives and be instrumental in building an effective community of practice.”

Director and Dean of Manchester Business School, Professor Michael Luger pointed out that this was an important milestone in the MBS use of Second Life adding that: “MBS’ innovative approach to e-learning is driving our presence in Second Life - adding value to the real time experience of our students.  The Award Ceremony for BP executives is the first of its kind in the UK and we’re delighted that we can bring the cohort together to celebrate their achievements in this way.”

So we’d like to add our congratulations to all the students for their success on this programme and also to Manchester Business School and Corporation Pop for showing us that as well as helping businesses to work and students to learn, Second Life can also be there to celebrate and reward success.  I hear the party afterwards was great too!

Greetings,

The Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education conference begins this coming Friday (March 27) and runs over the weekend.  I will be giving a keynote presentation (Friday, March 27, 1pm PDT, Location) as well as speaking on a panel with Claudia Linden and George Linden (Saturday, March 28, Noon PDT, Location).  The full schedule of speakers is simply amazing, and I can’t wait to attend as many of the presentations as possible.

I strongly believe this fantastic conference will be a watershed moment for education in virtual worlds.  And you don’t even need to travel to attend this international event, as it is happening entirely in Second Life.

Here are the latest details from the official press release, and you can learn more by visiting the conference website.  Hope to see you there!

ARE VIRTUAL WORLDS THE CLASSROOMS OF THE FUTURE?

2009 Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference (VWBPE) Bringing together Educators from around the World in Second Life, March 27-29.

Virtual world educational environments may not replace real classrooms (yet), but they are becoming integral to the future of education, say the organizers of the 2009 Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference to be held in Second Life, March 27-29.  Conference keynote speakers and panels will focus on how virtual world environments can help today’s learners become all they can be and build the work force of tomorrow.

“We are a global grass roots community  that is collaborating and co-sharing knowledge about the role of virtual world environments in education today,” said, Marlene Brooks of Memorial University, CA (Zana Kohime, SL) program chair of the conference. “Our goal at the conference in Second Life is to use virtual worlds as the centerpiece for discussion of the questions that impact all of our futures: What is education? What is teaching? What is learning?”

The three-day conference will be an opportunity for virtual communities from around the world to showcase projects, courses, events, and present research that lead to best practices in education. From presentations on the architecture of designing a virtual classroom and campus to projects that engage middle school students with math, science and languages to the award-winning 3D-Wiki technology created in Second Life used to design a medical clinic in Nepal, the VWBPE conference is dedicated to furthering the creation of innovative, interactive  and immersive environments.

Keynote speakers and panelists for the conference represent a wide range of institutions, leading universities as well as K-12 school systems that use Second Life as part of their educational programs.  Learn more by visiting the conference website.

The Virtual World Best Practices in Education (VWPBE) conference originated from the 2007 Second Life Best Practices in Education Conference. Educators are one of the most vibrant and growing groups in Second Life with an outreach to more than 6,000 SL residents.

For additional information and interviews, please contact;
Marty Keltz  (Marty Snowpaw, SL,  Vice-Chair, Program Committee)
1-416-587-3381
Email: marty.keltz@gmail.com

You can register here. Registration is free to all conference attendees.

Art and culture are no strangers to Second Life–this we all know! The opportunity to visualize artistic content in a 3d space allows for innovation that can expand and expose art collections from the real world. Use of audio, video, and interaction in a virtual space to explore cultural education is a method that educators and academics are utilizing to reach and engage their classrooms and audiences.  Today, we’re excited to announce another innovative use of Second Life in the arts and culture space. We’re proud to announce the Smithsonian’s Latino Virtual Museum!

The Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) is launched with developmental support from the Ohio University and Disney and shares the institution’s art and exhibits surveying content from their Latino collections. The launch also celebrates Smithsonian’s very first multicultural museum to focus on Latino heritage. Melissa Carrillo, Smithsonian’s Web Programs & Virtual World Director, has led the effort with a goal of increasing the visibility of and improving access to the collection through Latino art and music exhibits at the LVM. What’s especially cool about this is that much of the content that will be shown in Second Life has never seen the light of day - a real treat if you have an interest in arts and culture!

Check out the Arts and Entertainment Showcase entry for the Smithsonian Latino Museum (slurl), which focuses on bringing you audio, slides, and video to provide a basic understanding of navigation in Second Life. If you’re more interested in beginning at an exhibit, tour the Music Showcase entry for Smithsonian Latino Music (slurl), which spotlights the Son Clave Lounge and the Amphitheatre, upcoming home to live performances, oral history, and dance. For a sneak peek, you’ll really want to see the LVM machinima or the LVM press release.

While the museum provides something for anyone interested in museums and cultural history, Smithsonian is excited that developing in Second Life has helped their creative endeavors, too. The use and flexibility of virtual space in Second Life has helped them to demonstrate what a Latino Museum might look like in the real world. The virtual museum ultimately lays the foundation and provides inspiration for the possibility to someday expand on this museum in real life! This is a must-see example of creativity in Second Life converging with arts, humanities, and sciences in the real world.

We hope you have the opportunity to explore the art, music, and events at the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum, and that you enjoy its celebratory launch! Has the exposure of museums and culture in Second Life helped to enhance your learning and teaching needs? Click the Discussion link on the left - let’s hear your thoughts!

This Sunday’s edition of the New York Times Magazine features an extensive article by Sara Corbett, which looks at art and artists in Second Life, profiling Filthy Fluno and also featuring several other artists, including AM Radio and DanCoyote Antonelli. You can read it online now here: Portrait of an Artist as an Avatar.

Filthy Fluno (courtesy of himself)

As a creative platform, Second Life is such a natural fit for art and artists, and it’s really wonderful to see the magazine take a focused look at how such talented artists are using Second Life to explore, create and promote their work. It’s clear that the time the journalist spent with Filthy, AM and others helped her to realize the possibilities for creativity inworld, the power of Second Life as an artistic and communication medium, and the very real personal connections that can develop in the virtual world. Hopefully, this article will make that evident to even more people and will encourage current and future Residents to check out the vibrant arts scene in Second Life.

Additionally, tomorrow’s broadcast of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday will feature Dr. Michael DeMers, a geography professor at New Mexico State University, who will talk about how he’s using Second Life as a part of his class. NPR has blogged about the upcoming segment here, with the video of host Scott Simon looking for coffee inworld that Catherine recently blogged about (also below). You can find the broadcast schedule for the show on NPR’s website here (here in San Francisco, it’s slated to air on KQED 88.5AM between 7am and 7:30am PT).

NPR’s Scott Simon Looks for Coffee in Second Life (from NPR’s YouTube channel)