University of Edinburgh librarians lead discussion on Infolit iSchool Island in Second Life

 

 University of Edinburgh librarians lead discussion on Infolit iSchool Island in Second Life
Information Services for learners in Second Life is the topic of today's discussion: http://virtualworldwatch.net/2009/12/06/information-services-for-learners-in-...
Sheila Yoshikawa graciously hosts regular discussions on her University of Sheffield, Infolit iSchool Island. It's a packed house today and time to head off to check out the van they've been using to reach their distance learners in Second Life-more to come. 


IBM World Community Grid Live in Second Life

 

IBM World Community Grid Presentation Live Now in Second Life
Great group from IBM World Community Grid (WCG) presenting live here on the rooftop of the Karuna Resource Center on their FightAIDS@Home project.
The group in attendance was from around the globe...this is what Second Life does best. How else could people connect and share like this (don't even mention web conferencing programs as they simply do not compare-read on to understand).
After the short presentation and Q&A time, the IBM representative mentioned in my previous post on the World Community Grid, Bettina Cutler (Skippy Leafblower in SL) and I took all who were interested inside the Karuna Resource Center to tour the World Community Grid exhibit on the second floor. People appeared to enjoy the tour and Bettina somehow managed to get everyone together for a group snapshot. After our time in the IBM exhibit room an interested group headed out to the back deck to look over the Facing AIDS exhibit created for AIDS.gov, which I posted on earlier here.
It was an informative presentation and a good time. I look forward to continued collaboration with folks from the IBM WCG, many of whom had not been in Second Life before this World AIDS Day event.

World AIDS Day on Karuna Island in Second Life

 

World AIDS Day Live Now on Karuna Island in Second Life
Just listened to an incredibly moving audio message by Ryan White's mother, Jeanne White-Ginder. This is the opening World AIDS Day launch event on Karuna Island. The live music, by SL Cylindrian Rutabaga, has also been amazing. I'll try to get the audio file to post here later. The Karuna World AIDS Day event is off to a great start.

Please see this new post by Linden Labs to learn more about World AIDS Day on Karuna Island in Second Life taking place all day today: https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/learninginworld/blog/2009/11/30/world-...

IBM World Community Grid: FightAIDS@Home Presentation in Second Life for World AIDS DAY

As I mentioned in my previous post, December 1, 2009 is World AIDS Day 09 (WAD09). And as stated earlier, in Second Life (SL), as in other worlds, we are busy preparing Karuna Island for this major annual event. In this post I'll share about another Karuna partner, The IBM World Community Grid (WCG) and more specifically, The World Community Grid FightAIDS@Home project.

As stated on their site, "World Community Grid brings together people from across the globe who donate their idle computer time to create the largest volunteer computing grid benefiting humanity." 

The Karuna Resource Center houses a permanent World Community Grid FightAIDS@Home exhibit in an upstairs room of the Center that people are free to visit anytime. This was one of the first exhibits I put together (with Bettina, our IBM reps great inworld help) after accepting the National Library of Medicine grant funded position as Karuna Consumer Health Librarian. I strongly believe in this project and have participated by contributing my idle computer time since first learning about the wonderful work being done by this organization.

As part of the Karuna Island World AIDS Day events taking place in Second Life tomorrow, our IBM representative, Bettina Cutler, Program Manager, Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, IBM Asia Pacific, has arranged to have an IBM WCG representative along with herself give a presentation on the rooftop of the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life from 3-3:30 PM PT (SLT). We will also have a short 3 min. FightAIDS@Home video available for viewing on the rooftop throughout the day.

I'm looking forward to this event and want to encourage anyone with a Second Life account to attend. This SLurl (Second Life URL) will take you directly to the grassy Karuna Resource Center rooftop. Of course Karuna Island is open to the public 24/7 so feel free to stop by anytime. Events will be going on throughout the day for World AIDS Day, and there are always interesting places to explore, fun activities, and information resources.

Update: A Linden Labs blog post with new video has just been published further highlighting Karuna World AIDS Day events.

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Karuna Resource Center in Second Life-Facing AIDS Display for World AIDS Day 09

December 1, 2009 is World AIDS Day 09 (WAD09). In Second Life (SL), as in other worlds, we are busy preparing Karuna Island for this major annual event. This year promises to be extraordinary. Click this link to learn more about the event: http://www.tvwsp.com/home.html

As the Karuna Consumer Health Librarian and the person responsible for the Karuna Resource Center on Karuna Island, I work to meet the objectives of the information resources section of our National Library of Medicine (NLM) funded grant. For WAD09 I worked closely with two organizations to prepare something to compliment and extend awareness of their work inworld (inside SL).

The project I'm showcasing in this post was coordinated with our AIDS.gov representative, Michelle Samplin-Salgado. Michelle and I met inworld and she shared about the AIDS.gov Facing AIDS Campaign. After reading about the campaign, I went about creating a type of inworld equivalent on the back deck of the Karuna Resource Center. An earlier display I'd created on WAD09 already out there would compliment this one nicely.

The snapshots here show the display, which is open to anyone with a Second Life account. There is a notecard with step-by-step instructions embedded in a couple of the signs for visitors. The instructions include steps on how an avatar can choose to "wear" one of the signs on the table and then on how to take a snapshot and drag it onto the photoboard. The outside world equivalent can be found here on flickr (Michelle and I included our snapshots in both inworld and outworld locations :) )

Below is the SLurl (for those with SL downloaded) to the Facing AIDS display on the back deck of the Karuna Resource Center (feel free to explore inside the resource center and the rest of the Karuna Island as well!).
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/24/5/23

Please IM Robin Mochi inworld with any questions/comments or if you need assistance. Comments welcome here as well.

Update: A Linden Labs blog post with new video has just been published further highlighting the World AIDS Day events on Karuna.

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World AIDS Day Planning Meeting for Karuna Island in Second Life-Nov 21, 2009

 

World AIDS Day Planning Meeting for Karuna Island in Second Life-Nov 21, 2009
  Excellent planning meeting tonight led by Jena Ball (SL Jenaia Morane), Karuna Island Project Coordinator, and Marty Keltz (SL Marty Snowpaw) from The Virtual Worlds Story Project (TVWSP). 
In attendance were RTI reps, IBM World Community Grid rep and more, all meeting to plan the World AIDS Day (Dec 1, 2009) events on Karuna Island in Second Life. This will be one of the best World AIDS Day events yet with excellent speakers, incredible music, storytelling, and live streaming video. Learn more about the event here: http://www.tvwsp.com/  
(Wish real life meetings were more like this snapshot.)

Links of some of those involved at this meeting and with this National Library of Medicine HIV/AIDS funded project :


Working on World AIDS Day Display-Deck of the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life

Working on World AIDS Day Display-Deck of the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life
Still experimenting but hope to create various signs for people (well, people's avatars, actually) to hold up and take a snapshot of themselves and then perhaps a photoboard to display them all in Second Life. Hope to complete this Saturday night or Sunday - will keep you informed :)


More on HIV Testing and The Information Literacy Exhibit on Karuna Resource Center Rooftop in Second Life

These snapshots are an attempt to share with those who do not use Second Life (SL). My prior post explains more about this exhibit and includes links to Information Literacy Week in Second Life, with the schedule of events and SLurls (Second Life URL) to the locations.  It also includes an excellent CDC site for questions related to HIV Testing. I need to run as my exhibit opening begins in a little over an hour. If you have SL on your computer, please stop by to visit. The exhibit is today from 9-10AM SLT.

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HIV Testing-Information Literacy Exhibit in Second Life

 

HIV Testing-Information Literacy Exhibit in Second Life
It's Information Literacy Week in Second Life (SL). Sheila Yoshikawa (RL Sheila Webber), University of Sheffield faculty member and founder of Infolit iSchool Island in SL is leading this effort.

My exhibit is on the Karuna Resource Center rooftop on Karuna Island in SL. The official opening is Wednesday, Nov 11th,  9-10AM PST. The SLurl is below. I'll also take part in the ACRL panel presentation this Friday.
The specific information need, "Should I get tested for HIV" is addressed in this exhibit as it's a question people regularly wonder and ask. The SCONUL 7 Pillars of Information Literacy Model is used. 
One of the information sites people are pointed to is a service by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), National HIV and STD Testing Resources. Please stop by if you can, the exhibit will remain up through the weekend.

For more snapshots of this exhibit see my next post here.

My Morning Walk in Second Life Today

 

My morning walk in Second Life Today
Been overly busy lately with FT first life job, a PT Second Life job, and adjunct instructor position for my university's School of Education taught fully in Second Life.
Was preparing for an inworld meeting this morning when I decided to try to fit in some sort of morning walk...or to at least get the feel of what it would be like to get off my computer for a little while - LOL.  BTW - this snapshot is of my avatar visiting the Vassar Island (Vassar College) virtual reality room (holodeck) found in the Vassar Island castle entrance.