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AECT Virtual World Membership and Committee Event News

AECT in SecondLife

AECT_SL will host live sessions on CAVE Island during the 2011 convention.

The 2011 AECT Annual International Convention is fast approaching. If you are unable to attend, or are attending and excited to see a preview of what’s to come, AECT is hosting a FREE Virtual World Pre-Convention event on November 3, 2011 from 1:00pm (EST) – 5:00pm (EST), at the Community of Academic Virtual Educators (CAVE Island) & EdTech Island. Teleport links are attached, along with the preliminary schedule of the presentations.

This is an excellent opportunity to network with peers and conference attendees. At this Pre-Convention event Virtual World presenters will cover highlights of their presentations and answer questions. 

SLurls
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAVE/117/170/2998
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EdTech/193/167/25

Each presentation will have 10 mins to describe the highlights of their convention presentation. The Pre-Convention Event will not be recorded, so do make time for this event. Attendance is free!

While at the convention, take time to visit us for the AECT-SL demonstration, to be held on Thursday, November 10th from 9am-5pm in the hallway near the AECT Registration area at the convention in Jacksonville.

Preliminary SecondLife Pre-Conference Schedule
November 3rd 2011, 1pm – 5pm (EST) 

All Virtual World Presentations will be presented in the Hyatt Regency, Floor Level 3 - St John's. Each session is 60 mins. In sessions with 3 presentations, each will be 20 mins in the order of the program. In sessions with 2 presentations, each will have 30 mins. If only one presentation is available for a session, the full 60 mins may be used. Presenters are strongly encouraged to provide Q&A that include SL participants at the convention, Q&A sessions will not be included during the Pre-Convention event. The full schedule is available at: http://convention2.allacademic.com/one/aect/aect11/

Teleport to AECT on CAVE Island: http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/161/61/25/

Get started in AECT_SL group on CAVE Island, here is a short Step-by-Step Guide (see attached Flash file) and two orientation sessions have been arranged to assist new SL members:

Please notify Aimee Byk (bykad@email.uc.edu) if you want to plan a session or a personal tour.

New users download the attached FAQ document on the AECT website to assist new members. It is also recommend for new participants to join the AECT_SL group for full access to all areas and features on CAVE Island in Second Life. (http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/54/52/826).

Directions: Once an account is created in SL, users can search under the "Groups" tab from the "Search" button at the bottom of their screen, to locate the AECT_SL group. Using the SLURLs (links) listed below, will take avatars directly to the CAVE island meeting rooms, this allows members ease of access to each area without any assistance, similar to more familiar conferencing systems in our real world.

Link to Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) Link to Getting Started in SL Step-by-Step Instructions (Flash)

After login to SL, join the AECT_SL group by clicking on the search button at the bottom of your window, then select the "Groups" tab to locate the AECT_SL group name. Select the name and then click the join button. Group members will receive a note card with details about this meeting and other upcoming AECT_SL events.

After joining SL, an easy way to attend events is to enter one of the following addresses in your web browser:

• Boardroom (http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/54/52/826)
• Welcome Area (http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/155/32/28)
• Cloud 9 Division Rooms (http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/32/28/805)
• Amphitheater (http://slurl.com/secondlife/CAVE/200/61/22)
• AECT-SL Library(http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAVE/151/211/30

Quick Tips

Right click on a chair at the table in the boardroom and select "sit" from the popup menu. You'll find it's much easier to look around during the meeting and less distracting to others.

If you plan to participate in discussions, use the "Speak" button feature - this requires a headphone with microphone for full participation.

To avoid feedback through the speakers and poor sound quality, we strongly discourage using the built-in microphone on your PC.
To avoid echo problems, only use the talk feature when speaking; otherwise, leave it off.

Chat messages provide an alternative method of communication. In fact, many participants engage in private chats during events. If you are unable to attend the meeting in SL, call the conference phone line as usual. However, you will not be able to see the chat messages during the meeting. Additionally, the room is equipped with a slide viewer but none are planned at this time.

If available, you may set up a conference phone line as a communication back-up In the event SL becomes unstable, be prepared to call the conference phone line. A recommendation of connecting to SL at least 15 minutes early to resolve any communication issues is useful and allows testing of software and hardware before presentations.

We hope your in-world experiences prove beneficial and interesting.

Meeting Space in SL Available to All Divisions and AECT Affiliates!

Designated meeting spaces are available for divisions and partnerships for members is available and supported by various forms of media and kiosks. The AECT_SL space will be officially used for live sessions on Thursday, November 3, from 1-5 pm EST 2011 convention. Pictures of the event will be available on the Archives site from the 2011 AECT Virtual Celebration after the event.

To attend, vist C.A.V.E. Island

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAVE/117/170/2998
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/EdTech/193/167/25

AECT in SL History:

AECT members and non-members started meeting for special Second Life events in 2008, hosted by various educational organizations. As the most successful global virtual environment in terms of adoption and growth, Second Life represents a vehicle for AECT members to share and gain expertise as well as network with other professionals, other virtual worlds such as MetaVerse, are now being included as part of AECT's educational virtual organization allowing users to join at no cost, and attend in-world presentations and events modeling a variety of works within these cutting edge environments.

As a leader in the field of educational technology and communications, AECT’s presence in this virtual world offers the opportunity to expand its professional activities, provide service to its members and affiliates, and advance scholarship and practice to enlarge the field's knowledge base. Virtual worlds, such as Second Life (SL) and MetaVerse, offer user-created content, social networking and educational events to its users. The virtual environments are completely user-generated and Basic accounts are free in SL, MetaVerse is set up on private servers at individual institutions.

It's easy to start and join AECT once you have a Second Life account. Your SL account will allow you to participate at events, develop and upload content and network with friends and colleagues across the globe, thus this world is limited only by one’s creativity, skills, and a bank account, if you want to purchase items in-world.

The benefits when enrolling into a full AECT real-life membership is rewarding for those interested in education and professional development related to educational and technological publications, and with technical communication organizations. As a member you receive conference discounts, publication discounts and access to all the Springer Publications in eBook format. High energy conferences are held annually both virtually and real time in various cities across the U.S. where networking for work, education and pleasure make this a simple solution to expand your professional horizon. For more information click on the Membership link at the top of the page.

See you inworld!
AECT, Virtual World Committee

Archives and SL News

Current and Upcoming Events AECT in SL

Over a dozen members will be presenting at the SL Pre-Convention in November, so watch the SL home page for the upcoming 2011 Pre-Convention presentation information before the convention in Florida.

Want more attendees at your SL event? Contact the Communications Coordinator with your event details and we will announce your event on the web and through the AECT_SL members list! (names and contact are listed in the left-hand column of this page.

Visit the AECT-SL Library http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/CAVE/151/211/30
Please help spread the word to see these wonderful resources and BRING YOUR VIRTUAL FRIENDS!!!

CAVE Island will be hosting 6 multi-cast sessions (in SL and in person) at the October 2010 Conference in Anaheim, CA. See the Scheduled listing to the left for details, Session names, presenters and times. Select the SL Life Guide link for more information about the convention and a tutorial to get you started now.

Memories of the 2010 Pre-Convention Sessions!

AECT_SL Affiliate News!

Boise State University (BSU) Ed Tech department maintains an active SL calendar with sessions on teaching and learning in SecondLife. Please visit EdTech Island at, http://slurl.com/secondlife/EdTech/110/129/24.

Does your college or university have something to share with AECT members about SecondLife or another virtual space you use? Please contact Cheryl.Comstock@cccs.edu or IM Ize Mesmer in SL to have your information presented and in the AECT headlines today!