CESL

New location for CESL center

cesl — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:00:43 +0000

Plan a big activity and it seems like it predicts a problem.

We had to move the CESL center this week. Last week we noticed that the structure of our old island residence had changed and we had new neighbors. The new neighbors brought a disco with them which drove the sim health level down to a unbearably low level.

How many discos does SL need and how many particle generators do you need to have. I just don’t get it.

Well instead of getting into a land rights battle, Debra and I thought is would be best to move the build.

CESL is now located at Port Dervon 44, 65, 26 or http://slurl.com/secondlife/Port%20Dervon/44/65/26/

Join us for the conference. Love to see you there.

Kimbo Scribe

Practice sessions for 2VCC attendees and presenters

cesl — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:33:08 +0000

We have established these times as practice sessions for conference presenters and attendees who might be new to the Second Life environment. These sessions will be helpful for those needing to learn navigation, movement, text chat, and for assistance in setting up the audio and chat capabilities. Interested members should have their SL avatar set-up and logged in to participate in these practice sessions. Once inworld come to the CESL center or IM Debra London (SL: Debra Hilra) Marty Jencius (SL; Kimbo Scribe) or Chad Yates (SL: Chad Quicksand) to get teleported to the location.

Come back to look for additional times and/or contact Debra London dlondon@kent.edu or Marty Jencius mjencius@kent.edu for additional assistance.

ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN TIME ZONE

Friday 9/3 7-8 pm Marty
Sunday 9/5 11 am -12 Debra
Monday 9/6 11 am -12 Debra
Monday 9/6 1pm – 2pm Marty
Monday 9/6 6pm-7pm Marty
Tuesday 9/7 12-2 pm Chad
Wednesday 9/8 11am -12 noon Marty
Wednesday 9/8 7-8pm Marty
Thursday 9/9 12-1 pm Marty
Friday 9/10 12-2 pm Chad
Saturday 9/11 10-11am Debra
Saturday 9/11 11-12 Marty
Sunday 9/12 10-11am Debra
Tuesday 9/14 12-2 pm Chad

2nd Virtual Conference on Counseling!!!

cesl — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:30:10 +0000

The 2nd Virtual Conference on Counseling is scheduled for September 15-18, 2009 in Second Life at the Counselor Education in Second Life (CESL) center. Conference registration is FREE and open to the professional counselor education community, practicing counselors, and supportive members. The 2VCC has more than 40 live online presentations covering a wide variety of counseling topics. Presentations will occur at two locations in Second Life; the CESL center and our venue partner eXtension (Cooperative Extension Second Life Educators).

Continuing education hours are available and provided FREE to registered attendees through Kent State University’s Counseling and Human Development Center.

General Information:
http://SL.CounselorEducation.org

Conference Schedule:
http://sl.counseloreducation.org/2VCCSchedule/2VCCSchedule.html

Registration:
http://sl.counseloreducation.org/Registration/registration.php

Practice sessions schedule for those new to Second Life:
http://sl.counseloreducation.org/Practice/practice.html

Live Webstream partner:
http://www.onlinevents.co.uk

Help Videos
http://sl.counseloreducation.org/HelpVideos/videos.html

Conference blog
http://CESL.wordpress.com

Some more, for those interested

This is a great opportunity for you to attend a FREE conference using Second Life to engage the presenters in realtime interaction. I hope that you will take the conference days to spend as much time as you can in support of other colleagues by attending their presentations. If you are planning on inviting others to the conference (please do!) give them enough notice to complete Second life registration process and become familiar enough with Second life to get around. Counseling classes may want to consider attending some conference sessions while on campus as a class (viewing the session through the eyes of one Avatar).

Webstream

Another way to view the conference is to use our webstream partner, Onlinevents.co.uk http://www.onlinevents.co.uk Onlinevents will be streaming content from the conference simultaneously as permitted by the presenter. You can simply direct your web browser to the Onlinevents website, register for free and see streamed content on your personal computer or project it for for your class.

Getting an Avatar and getting ready for the conference

If you have not joined Second Life yet you can do so at http://secondlife.com/ ; click on the “get started” button to begin the registration process. The registration process will walk you through creating your Avatar (your in-world self) along with registering your in world name and some default settings. You will also be asked to download the Second Life software. It is important that you have the Second Life software on the computer that you plan to deliver your presentation from (there are Windows, Mac, and Linux versions). You may also download the Second Life software to other computers. You can log into Second Life with your Avatar name and password from any computer that has the software.

If you want to see a video of the SL registration process and creation of an avatar, you can find them http://SL.counseloreducation.org under the video section

It would be a good idea to spend some time in Second Life before the conference. While Second Life is not particularly difficult to navigate it does take a bit of getting use to. This url will take you to a Second Life quick start guide which covers much of the basics of getting around in Second Life

http://static-secondlife-com.s3.amazonaws.com/downloads/Second_Life_Quickstart.pdf .

Practice sessions available

We have created a few practice sessions for people new to Second Life. The schedule can be found at http://sl.counseloreducation.org/Practice/practice.html

Any questions you can email me at mjencius@kent.edu
Marty Jencius (SL: Kimbo Scribe)
Kent State University
Associate Professor – Counseling and Human Development Services

Try the SL 2.0 viewer

cesl — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:00:03 +0000

I would encourage you to load and take a look at the new 2.0 viewer for Second Life. If you load the 2.0 viewer you can still use the 1.0 viewer as you get use to it. The 2.0 viewer allows you to create and add active content elements into SL, referred to as “Web-on-a-prim”. BY WOAP, they mean, you can construct simple screens and link them to web pages and they become web browsers within SL. Your avatars can scroll and move through the screens as the hyperlinks on them work. We have a few of these WOAP elements set up in the CESL hut by the sea. You can’t see them or make them without running the viewer 2.0 which can be downloaded for free from your SL account page.

American Counseling Association presentation on CESL

cesl — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:33:00 +0000

Debra Hilra and I will be presenting at the American Counseling Association conference on Sunday March 21. We will be talking about the CESL and the SiR projects with Deborah Osborne, Associate Professor from University South Florida and Wendy-lou Greenwich also from University of South Florida – Polytechnic. I am so it’s exciting really presenting about the CESL center and the SiR projects.

New location for CESL and SiR

cesl — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:53:56 +0000

March 12th I got notification that we couldn’t get into the CESL site. As it happens we later found out that the person that we’ve been renting that location from hasn’t been paying there tier or have been kicked out of landownership for some type of maleficence. Linden Labs was kind enough to let Debra and me on the old location to clear off the build and set up shop with and more reliable landlord. We were able to find a great location and combine both the CESL center and The Scholars in Residence program at the same location. The SLURL for the new location is http://tinyurl.com/yb7gy52

2nd Scholar in Residence program application

cesl — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:09:03 +0000

CESL Scholar in Residence program

Counselor Education in Second Life (CESL) – Scholar in Residence (SiR) program is an opportunity for Counselor Educators to have a 6 month lease in Second Life® to work on creative projects for their classroom course development using this platform. All creative projects rights are retained by the SiR developer. For more information about CESL and the Scholar in Residence program, take a look at http://SL.counseloreducation.org

What are you provided as a Scholar in Residence?

Free of charge, you will be provided a lease on 1/4th of an island for 6 months. The island is shared by 3 other SiR which will allow you collective support and a community to discuss projects and teach each other. Each SiR will get 5000 Linden dollars to start, and a private residence on the island. Lindens can be used for purchasing tools to develop your project, altering your avatar, or furnishing your residence. Available to you and other SiR will be CESL consultants who can help answer questions and suggest solutions to inworld projects you are interested in developing.

What is my investment in the SiR program?

We can select up to 4 SiR proposals every 6 months. Your initial investment is to fill out a simple request to be in the program that includes any initial ideas you may have on a project you would like to complete in the 6 month timeframe. We are looking for applicants from all levels of technology competence that may be interested in this project. We hope that successful applicants for the program will find regular opportunities to engage creative development with other scholars. Scholars will be expected to provide timely updates of there progress on their projects and be involved in inworld meetings with other residents.

How do I apply?

The very short online application can be found at http://SL.counseloreducation.org We are looking to create a biannual cycle for the SiR program (July 1st – December 31st and January 1st – June 30). Applicants for the second opportunity (Jan 1, 2010 – June 30, 2010) are due by December 15, 2009. The space is limited so those not accepted for island residence may be offered other island access and support

Email to attendees of VCC

cesl — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:43:04 +0000

Dear Virtual Conference on Counseling Presenters and Attendees

The interest in the conference has been beyond what we imagined, in fact we are concerned that we could face lag at certain times during the conference. Below we will list some suggestions for improving the conference experience for everybody. Please take a look at them and consider them before coming inworld. Please take a moment to read over these items as they will help us all to have a smoother conference

Help

The Conference website is at http://SL.counseloeducation.org Second life quick start guide- This guide addresses many of the basic of functioning in Second life. It can be very handy to print this out and keep in nearby.

http://static-secondlife-com.s3.amazonaws.com/downloads/Second_Life_Quickstart.pdf

We will have minimal help during the conference so it is best if you take some time to familiarize yourself with the basics of Second Life before hand. Should you find yourself in need of assistance head to one of the two help locations (one at the CESL location by the beach, and one near the center the Scholars Island). With two people running the conference at two different locations we cannot provide continuous help, but we are hoping more savvy SL users will come bye for your assistance.

Using voice

Those who made it to the practice sessions know about this….The easiest and most effective way to use voice chat in Second Life is to use either: a headset with earphones and an attached microphone, or to use earphones and a standalone microphone. If you try to use your computers speakers and a microphone you will get feedback between the two and everyone in range in Second life will hear it. If you do not plan on using voice chat but only wish to be able to hear others speaking your computer speaks are fine. If you wish to talk with a conference attendee please do so by using the IM windows for private txt chat. It can get very confusing it there are a few separate conversations going in open chat. Open/Local chat only works if you are within 20 meters of the speaker. Keep open/local chat clear for group discussions or presenters use. Presenters, please remember to check your chat window periodically to see if you have any messages.

Protocol for presentations

For attendees:

1. It is best if you arrive early and find a set and take the seat. Unnecessary movement puts stress on the sim with large gatherings.

2. Please refrain from using voice chat during the presentations. In fact turn off your microphone and let the presenters speak without open mic clutter. I have asked each of the presenters to take regular breaks to open it up for questions. That will be an opportunity for you to open your mic and ask a question. Then they may go back into a closed presentation and open it up again at the end for questions.

3. If you are having problems during the presentation with your audio. Leave and head to a help station, or sit out the presentation and get assistance during the break.

For presenters:

1. Come early and be ready to start on time.

2. Realize that you may a have an ambitious plan but things go at a different pace in SL and you may have to change your process.

3. Give frequent breaks for questions from the audience.

4. Presenters, please notify your attendees if you want to receive questions/comments through voice chat or in IM’s. You are in charge of the communication pattern for your presentation.

5. MOST OF ALL… Please end on time, giving the next presenter and audience a chance to get settled.

Webstream of the conference!!!

John Wilson at http://Onlinevents.co.uk will be streaming the conference for us. We appreciate his willingness provide this service for us.

If you have trouble getting to the conference or problems inworld REMEMBER… You can see the conference through the webstream

Bling, attachments, sparkles, etc.

All of the glitter and bling that you can buy and use in SL puts a demand on the server. Please detach as many HUDs, AO’s and scripted objects as you can (If you do not know what this means, don’t worry, it probably doesn’t apply for you). These items add to lag and any of these items that we can do without during the conference will be appreciated by all.

Traveling from one conference location to another

There are teleport (TP) devices at each conference location. These are gold, round platforms which you will see on the ground. You can click on them to get a list of destinations to select. Once you select a destination, click on the top of the platform, a map will appear and click on the “teleport” button on the map. You will be teleported to the location.

CESL group tag

Make sure that you are in the CESL group and wearing your group tag. If you are not a member of the CESL-Counselor Educators in Second Life group, please join. When in world go to search then click the group tab. Type CESL into the search window, click on the link for CESL and then click the link to view the profile. When the group window opens click “join”. We will be using the group to send notices to all members during the conference. There is also a sign you can click on in the conference center (next to the book kiosk) that will send you a group invite.

Conference updates

Real-time conference updates and information can be read and sent through Twitter – http://twitter.com/ceinsl

We are very excited about the conference and hope that you are also. As this is a new format for many of us a little bit of extra time spent on preparation will go a longer way towards ensuring that the conference will be valuable for all. Please bear with us as we handle flow of this new platform.

Warmly,

Dr. Marty Jencius
aka Kimbo Scribe

Debra London, M.Ed.
aka Debra Hilra

More practice sessions

cesl — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:46:04 +0000

We will be holding some additional in world sessions for presenters and attendees these days before the conference to help you gain confidence in using the presentation tools, crafting an inworld image, navigation, and so on. When in Second Life you can instant message Debra Hilra, or Kimbo Scribe to help with any questions or issues you may encounter. We can also send you landmarks for places in Second Life to explore, learn, and shop.

You should come prepared to practice with an active computer headset. Headsets are the best but if you use a condenser microphone embedded in your system, you should use earbuds for your audio output to reduce audio feedback.

Kimbo Scribe (Dr. Marty Jencius) will be inword the following days and times if you want to test your system
Friday 9/11 9-11am EST
 Sunday 9/13 2-4pm EST
 Monday 9/14 9-10:30am EST 
Monday 9/14 1:30-3pm EST

Debra Hilra (Debra London) will be inworld the following days and times if you want to test your system 
 Saturday 9/10 10-11am EST
 Tuesday 9/15 12:30-2pm EST

We got the Tweet

cesl — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:43:16 +0000

I have set up a twitter account for pre-conference and during conference last minute information. If you follow twitter, add the twitter group http://twitter.com/cesinl