Robin Ashford's Posterous http://robinashford.posterous.com The primary focus of this blog is my work & explorations in Second Life posterous.com Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:34:00 -0700 2010 LILAC Conference (UK Information Literacy Conf) Report on InfoLit iSchool Island http://robinashford.posterous.com/how-can-librarians-afford-professional-develo http://robinashford.posterous.com/how-can-librarians-afford-professional-develo How can librarians afford professional development of this quality any other way?
I'm consistently amazed by the quality of professional development opportunities afforded me by participating in virtual worlds. This presentation is taking place at this moment on the University of Sheffield founded island, InfoLit iSchool, in Second Life. Librarians are here from around the globe (only a few from USA). I really love what I learn from such diverse groups of librarians in this way. I still can't believe I attend these discussions/presentations and some very large events all for no cost other than the time it takes me to login on my laptop. Truly an amazing time for educators to be able to connect like never before. I'll add text from a notecard handed out in SL below.
InfoLit iSchool April 2010
Screen shot of InfoLit iSchool discussion on LILAC
Towards the end of the discussion Pancha Enzyme rezzed a QR code and shared how they are being used in libraries-an excellent presentation by Ishbel Hartmann & Pancha Enzyme!
InfoLit iSchool LILAC Report April 8, 2010
Below is part of the text from a notecard handed out at the beginning of this discussion: *****Report from the LILAC conference: General information and links

Meeting held on Infolit iSchool,  Second Life, 8th April 2010
(This notecard compiled by Sheila Yoshikawa, 8 April 2010)

******
LILAC is the major information literacy conference in the UK. The website says “LILAC is aimed at librarians and information professionals who teach information literacy skills, are interested in digital literacies and want to improve the information seeking and evaluation skills of all our library users whoever they may be.”
In 2010 it was held 29-31 March, in Limerick, Ireland. Pancha Enzyme and Ishbel Hartmann will present their highlights from the conference. We also welcome views from anyone else who was at the conference!

This notecard has some links to reports etc. about the conference. I will also be putting these on my blog tomorrow: http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/

*****
The main LILAC website is at http://www.lilacconference.com/dw/
The Twitter stream is http://twitter.com/lilac_2010

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:06:00 -0700 Mayo Clinic in Second Life, Lee Aase, social media guru, and the 2010 ICSI/IHI Colloquium in May http://robinashford.posterous.com/mayo-clinic-in-second-life-lee-aase-social-me http://robinashford.posterous.com/mayo-clinic-in-second-life-lee-aase-social-me

Giving the term “virtual colonoscopy” a whole new meaning, Mayo Clinic hosted its first presentation in Second Life on March 31, 2010. I missed this event but recently stopped by to check out their SL island and took these snapshots. It looks to me to be developing nicely and I look forward to future presentations.

From the site above: "In recognition of March as Colon and Rectal Cancer Awareness Month, Paul Limburg. M.D., of Mayo Clinic’s Departments of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and Preventive, Occupational, and Aerospace Medicine will be giving a lecture in Second Life on 'Tools & Tips to Prevent Colorectal Cancer.'"

After the event Lee Aase, Mayo Clinic manager for Syndications and Social Media, wrote a nice post on his SMUG site titled "First Event in Second Life." I was especially interested in his impressions as it was the first time he attended a Second Life event.

In this informative blog post, ICSI President, Dr. Kent Bottles, mentions Lee Aase, "Mayo Clinic social media guru," will give a lecture at the 2010 ICSI/IHI Colloquium, there will be a panel with social media pioneers like Ben Heywood and Jen McCabe as well.

I will also be there presenting as part of the innovation track on, "How Doctors, Nurses, Allied Health Professionals and Patients Use Second Life."  As Dr. Bottles stated "This is not your usual conference."

It's not too late to register and join us for the 2010 ICSI/IHI Colloquium on Health Care Transformation May 3-5, 2010 in St. Paul, MN.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:09:00 -0800 Ready for my presentation at 11AM PST in Second Life-AIDS Epidemic Update http://robinashford.posterous.com/ready-for-my-presentation-at-11am-pst-in-seco http://robinashford.posterous.com/ready-for-my-presentation-at-11am-pst-in-seco

 

Ready for my presentation at 11AM PST in Second Life-AIDS Epidemic Update
Today I'll be sharing key information from the AIDS epidemic update December 2009 report: http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/JC1700_Epi_Update_2009_en.pdf Please join me if you can in the Karuna Resource Center (click link below). If you can't, please read the report as this epidemic impacts us all. If you have a SL account:

Update: The presentation went well and had some interesting visitors all of whom were quite interested and knowledgeable of the global AIDS epidemic. Here's a flickr link of a few snapshots I took during the presentation.


Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:48:00 -0800 Another snapshot of educators attending EDUCAUSE #ELI2010 in Second Life http://robinashford.posterous.com/another-snapshot-of-educators-attending-eli20 http://robinashford.posterous.com/another-snapshot-of-educators-attending-eli20

 

Another snapshot of educators attending #ELI2010 in Second Life
Enjoying the backchat here in SL. Good group and Penn State, PSU World Campus here in SL is very nice.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:25:00 -0800 EDUCAUSE Learning Institute #ELI2010 now in Second Life http://robinashford.posterous.com/educause-learning-institute-eli2010-now-in-se http://robinashford.posterous.com/educause-learning-institute-eli2010-now-in-se
EDUCAUSE Learning Institute #ELI2010 now in Second Life
There are currently 34 educators in Second Life in the PSU World Campus Amphitheatre. We're here listening to Malcolm Brown and others intoduce the key trends and challenges of the 2010 Horizon Report: http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2010-Horizon-Report.pdf Larry Johnson is now sharing more about the report. If you have a SL account and would like to join us here is the SLurl:

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:33:00 -0800 HIV/AIDS questions? I'm available to help on the reference desk in the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life http://robinashford.posterous.com/hivaids-questions-im-avail-to-help-on-referen http://robinashford.posterous.com/hivaids-questions-im-avail-to-help-on-referen

 

HIV/AIDS questions? I'm available to help on the reference desk in the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life
I'm, Robin Mochi in SL and the Karuna Consumer Health Librarian working one of my live help shifts in Second Life. I'm here to help any who stop by with HIV/AIDS information needs. I'm also working on my next presentation which will feature the latest World Health Organziation HIV/AIDS report, scheduled to take place here this Wednesday at 11AM PST .

Really do love this job, will miss it when the grant is over on April 1, 2010.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:14:00 -0800 Today Robin Mochi in WOW & Second Life Simultaneously http://robinashford.posterous.com/today-robin-mochi-in-wow-and-second-life-simu http://robinashford.posterous.com/today-robin-mochi-in-wow-and-second-life-simu

Screenshot_of_robin_mochi_in_w

Very interesting morning learning World of Warcraft. Had to leave WOW to work my reference desk shift in the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life (SL) in my position as Consumer Health Librarian. I spent a few minutes in both simultaneously and that's what this screenshot shows (shocked it didn't crash my computer to run both).

Also posted a screenshot of my first hour in WOW on flickr here:

Media_httpfarm5static_aojjp
The following description explains a little about what I'm doing and why:

A bit of an experiment - was asked by a faculty member teaching at UCSD to assist with a research component for his course being taught in WOW. As an academic librarian working with the academic community in SL, how could I say no?

So as in SL, I am a blue female in WOW (albeit a troll). Should be interesting comparing these two environments. I have a fair amount of experience teaching and learning in SL for my university and have been involved and following educational developments in SL, including the work and roles of librarians, for some time. I'm interested in learning how the WOW environment is being used for educational purposes. And of course, where does the librarian fit when courses are being taught in these environments. What is our role? More to come as I explore and learn in WOW.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:42:00 -0800 The University of Edinburgh librarians in Second Life discussion continues http://robinashford.posterous.com/the-edinburgh-university-librarians-in-second http://robinashford.posterous.com/the-edinburgh-university-librarians-in-second

 

The University of Edinburgh librarians in Second Life discussion continues
As mentioned in my prior post this discussion is on Information Services for learners in Second Life (via Edinburgh librarian) http://tinyurl.com/yksjorb
This picture shows the group after we left the table out on the back deck and we're now out front examining the IS cream van this university is using to provide help to their distance learners - interesting concept and the van works surprisingly well. Creative project and according to their statistics thus far, quite successful.
(As soon as the chatlog of this discussion is posted online, I'll link to that here.)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:30:00 -0800 University of Edinburgh librarians lead discussion on Infolit iSchool Island in Second Life http://robinashford.posterous.com/edinburgh-university-librarians-lead-discussi http://robinashford.posterous.com/edinburgh-university-librarians-lead-discussi

 

 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. 


Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:10:00 -0800 IBM World Community Grid Live in Second Life http://robinashford.posterous.com/ibm-world-community-grid-presentation-live-no http://robinashford.posterous.com/ibm-world-community-grid-presentation-live-no

 

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.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:01:00 -0800 World AIDS Day on Karuna Island in Second Life http://robinashford.posterous.com/world-aids-day-live-now-on-karuna-island-in-s http://robinashford.posterous.com/world-aids-day-live-now-on-karuna-island-in-s

 

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-...

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:15:00 -0800 IBM World Community Grid: FightAIDS@Home Presentation in Second Life for World AIDS DAY http://robinashford.posterous.com/ibm-world-community-grid-presents-fightaidsho http://robinashford.posterous.com/ibm-world-community-grid-presents-fightaidsho

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.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:08:00 -0800 Karuna Resource Center in Second Life-Facing AIDS Display for World AIDS Day 09 http://robinashford.posterous.com/karuna-resource-center-in-second-life-facing http://robinashford.posterous.com/karuna-resource-center-in-second-life-facing

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.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:03:00 -0800 World AIDS Day Planning Meeting for Karuna Island in Second Life-Nov 21, 2009 http://robinashford.posterous.com/world-aids-day-planning-meeting-for-karuna-is http://robinashford.posterous.com/world-aids-day-planning-meeting-for-karuna-is

 

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 :


Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:21:00 -0700 My Morning Walk in Second Life Today http://robinashford.posterous.com/my-morning-walk-in-second-life-today http://robinashford.posterous.com/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.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:28:00 -0700 Rooftop of Karuna Resource Center in Second Life-HIV/AIDS Videos/Presentations Coming Soon http://robinashford.posterous.com/rooftop-of-karuna-resource-center-in-second-l http://robinashford.posterous.com/rooftop-of-karuna-resource-center-in-second-l
Rooftop of Karuna Resource Center in Second Life-HIV/AIDS Videos/Presentations Coming Soon
Spent some productive time here this morning. I'm not finished, still need to add a few more trees and comfortable seating, but I'm excited about the potential to offer short but regular video presentations and global discussions on HIV/AIDS. I love my National Library of Medicine grant funded position as Karuna Consumer Health Librarian. What an amazing learning experience. All for today, off soon to my first life job as Reference & Distance Services Librarian at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon USA If you're interested in learning more about Karuna, feel free to contact me - IM Robin Mochi in Second Life or email Robin@karunahiv.com

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:05:00 -0700 Graduate LIS class from University of Hawaii visiting the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life http://robinashford.posterous.com/professor-diane-nahls-graduate-lis-class-from http://robinashford.posterous.com/professor-diane-nahls-graduate-lis-class-from

Professor Diane Nahl (aka Adra Letov in SL) and seven of her graduate Library and Information Science (LIS) students visited the Karuna Resource Center (RC) this past week to see the types of resources and displays being featured and to speak with me about my role as the Karuna Consumer Health Librarian. We also discussed the evolving work of librarians in virtual worlds.

I welcomed the group at the front entrance and enjoyed chatting with Diane while watching her students clicking on the displays and touring the building. After exploring, the students began asking questions. I had them get comfortable on the couches and chairs and did my best to answer. They were a sharp group and it was good to see and hear from future librarians who seek to understand the changing roles of information professionals. We discussed the resources and presentations I included in the resource center and how they meet the outcomes of the National Library of Medicine grant that funds the island. We also discussed the benefits and challenges for librarians working in virtual worlds, how statistics are gathered, and  more.

After Diane and her graduate students left, I reflected on my own experience in graduate school. I attended the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the Unviersity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC GSLIS) not all that long ago, graduating in December 2003. It was a very positive experience and I am thankful to have attended an institution where I was pushed towards newer technologies. From learning basic html during my orientation to courses on web usability, online information literacy and more, I felt fortunate to be learning in a place that valued what was relevant and important for future librarians.

Professor Nahl's students, and many other GSLIS students from several universities who are offering courses in SL, are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn about librarianship in Second Life. Virtual Worlds (VW) are here to stay, and as VWs develop and more of our constituents use VWs, the information needs in these places will grow. These LIS students will be better prepared than those without this exposure. It really is an exciting time to be a librarian.


The Karuna Island in Second Life is funded via a National Library of Medicine grant to provide support and information resources for HIV/AIDS afflicted individuals, family, friends and the public. Jena Ball, (aka SL Jenaia Morane) is the Project Coordinator for Karuna and I was hired as the Consumer Health Librarian. In first life I am an academic librarian at a small private university.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:31:58 -0700 Had to see this for myself-Yes, the IRS is indeed in Second Life-huh http://robinashford.posterous.com/had-to-see-this-for-myself-yes-the-irs-is-ind http://robinashford.posterous.com/had-to-see-this-for-myself-yes-the-irs-is-ind
Had to see this for myself-Yes, the IRS is indeed in Second Life-huh
Saw a tweet from http://twitter.com/malburns and read the blog post below and had to confirm. Yep, it's true. (And btw-there is a lot of pretty nice free jewelry for the taking if you join their group.) http://www.avatarplanet.com/blog/2009/09/06/internal-revenue-service-in-secon... Really should not be surprised since there are many government agencies in Second Life and other virtual worlds but for some reason I was. I guess I just think of the IRS as being sort of ultra-conservative and well...the IRS in virtual worlds? Still seems kind of shocking to me...

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:47:00 -0700 H1N1 Flu and HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents-New Second Life Karuna Resource Center Display http://robinashford.posterous.com/h1ni-flue-and-hiv-infected-adults-and-adolesc http://robinashford.posterous.com/h1ni-flue-and-hiv-infected-adults-and-adolesc

 

H1NI Flue and HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents-New Second Life Karuna Resource Center Display
The new CDC display in the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life. In this podcast, Dr. John Brooks, of CDC's HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, discusses CDC's Interim Guidance for HIV-infected adults and adolescents regarding the novel H1N1 flu virus: http://www2a.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=14199

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford
Sat, 29 Aug 2009 20:32:00 -0700 Karuna Resource Center in Second Life-Ready for tomorrow's Presentation-short video http://robinashford.posterous.com/karuna-resource-center-in-second-life-ready-f http://robinashford.posterous.com/karuna-resource-center-in-second-life-ready-f

Tomorrow evening at 8:00 SLT (PT) I'll share a short presentation in the Karuna Resource Center on The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation http://www.pedaids.org/Home.aspx

To mark the Foundation's 20th anniversary they're launching "Join the Moment" a campaign to create a generation free of HIV. I'll share what I've learned about the work being done related to this campaign.

All are welcome to attend but if you don't have a free Second Life account or can't make it in, you can watch this video and visit the website to learn more. For those who already have a free Second Life acct, here is the SLurl to the Karuna Resource Center in Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/33/50/23

There will also be a short video shown "Creating a Generation Free of HIV, by Nigel Barker" available here:

You may wonder why people would want to visit Second Life to view things that are available on the web. For one, while anyone with access to a computer can watch videos on YouTube, one generally watches those videos alone or maybe with a friend, and I suppose sometimes in a classroom with your peers. In Second Life there is a global audience. It's a wonderful way to connect with diverse groups of people, especially when the topic is one with such a strong global impact. Together we can discuss the presentation and video via chat or voice while they are taking place.

Also, the materials in this presentation, along with all the materials in the Karuna Resource Center, were evaluated and chosen by an academic librarian in real life (me :) ), (Robin Mochi, Consumer Health Librarian in Second Life). I follow a set criteria and choose only those materials deemed useful and that meet the guidelines and outcomes of the National Library of Medicine grant that funds the Karuna Island for HIV/AIDS information and support in SL.

The materials shown in this short video will remain in the Karuna Resource Center for viewing 24/7. Feel free to stop by anytime that's convenient in your time zone of the world.

Questions, comments or suggestions? IM Robin Mochi inworld or email Robin Ashford at Robin@karunahiv.com or comment here.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1212944/Robin_Ashford_b_w.jpg http://posterous.com/users/KINb4uCprP Robin Ashford robinashford Robin Ashford