Meet …
November 20, 2007
Student Robin Williams releases What is Second Life? machinima video production on YouTube.
Student Robin Williams, also known as Greylin Fairweather in Second Life, released a highly praised machinima piece entitled What is Second Life? on November 19, 2007 on YouTube. The video is below. This is part one of two. Williams writes, "this video aims to answer what Second Life is by using the metaphor of a garden. Part two will answer who participates and what they do."
Williams recently co-authored a book with Dr. David Loertscher entitled, In Command! Kids and Teens Build Their Own Information Spaces and Learn to Manage Themselves in Those Spaces [1]. She presented the concepts in the book at Treasure Mountain Retreat in Reno in October 2007. She also presented the material at the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) annual conference on October 27 in Reno with Dr. Loertscher. The book sold out shortly after the presentation. The book "asks each child and teen to construct their own home page using iGoogle, and to construct three sections of their own information space: personal space. group space, and outer space."
Ms. Williams and Dr. Loertscher presented Knowville and In Command! on September 18, 2007, at ISTE Second Life. Some of her work was highlighted by Jeremy Kemp during his presentation at Internet Librarian.
Her previous 5-star rated machinima entitled Knowville 3D in Second Life is also available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NjMLip41so.
Williams' writes:
It is interesting that, on occasion, I encounter people who throw their hands up and see Second Life as another impossible and useless technology, or a game. I am daily overwhelmed by the exciting possibilities of 3D virtual education and although nothing should ever be a substitute for real life, Second Life is a fantastic potential augmentation for many. Second Life incorporates all of the best aspects of distance education into one place. Avatars allow for the human element of personalization that one doesn't get in many of the platforms which makes them feel as though they are really "there" (software-based virtual reality). We have an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of virtual worlds.
Meet Greylin Fairweather / Robin Williams at the ISTE Virtual Poster session in Second Life on November 29, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. PST. [SLURL: slurl.com/secondlife/ISTE%20Island/98/74/30] She will also be blogging as a YALSA blogger.
Robin Williams is a founding member of the SJSU Architects group and is a "SLIS Guides Guru". She will be completing her last semester towards earning her MLIS in Spring 2008.
1. Williams, R. T. & Loertscher, D. (2007). In command! Kids and teens build their own information spaces and learn to manage themselves in those spaces. Salt Lake City: Hi Willow Research & Publishing. (ISBN: 1-978-933170--36-0; $25.00)
Editor's Note: Machinima is a form of filmmaking in a 3D computer environment.
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