Newbie Session and Maintaining my Sense of Wonder

Jo has already written about the hugely successful April Festival on jokaydia which took place last weekend, but I’d like to add a few words about the Newbie Session that she asked me to help out with. It was very inspiring to be with a group of visitors who are keen to start exploring the educational potential of Second Life. One of the most important things that I learned during that session was not to take Second Life for granted. Interacting with those who are new to Second Life reminded me how inspired I was when I first created my avatar and started exploring some of the educational spaces inworld. It was like discovering a new frontier – it was a time to reflect on what I’d accomplished as an educator in the physical and online world, and to also think about the possibilities that await in the virtual environment of Second Life. In other words, it was a time to push my own thinking about education.

As I reflect on that Newbie Session last week, I am reminded of the wide-eyed enthusiasm of our guests and the importance of that almost child-like sense of wonder and exploration that we all experience when we first discover Second Life.

One thing that helps me keep that sense of wonder alive and makes me feel like a perpetual SL newbie is my passion for inworld photography and machinima. If you’re interested in my work, feel free to visit the home of my March Studios at blip.tv or my growing collection of Second Life landscape photography.

Finally, here’s a video to celebrate last week’s festival and, specifically, the magical Newbie Session balloon ride that reminded me of why I love Second Life: As our first Educator-in-Residence continues to demonstrate, it’s a place where the only limit is our creativity (… and the number of prims at our disposal :-) ):

For a full-screen version, click here.