Officially Open

You may (or may not) have heard that last Wednesday was the official opening of the PSU World Campus island in the virtual world of Second Life. We’re using this space to give our online students their own ‘campus experience’ just like students on Penn State’s other campuses. If you ask undergraduate students the one thing they’ll always remember about Penn State, you’d have trouble finding a student on a physical campus that would mention anything at all about their courses, classwork, or ANGEL. They all mention things like The Diner, the creamery, and football games. The things they take with them from Penn State, are the social/outside the classroom things where they connect and meet other students. Using a virtual space like Second Life gives us a way to provide those sort of experiences for our students, too.

On Wednesday we spent a little over 12 hours meeting with students, colleagues and co-workers in Second Life. There were students from the US, Spain, and France, all ‘meeting’ each other for the first time.  Two of our students actually learned that they live very close to each other in Virginia and had no idea!  It was a wonderful time and really helped the students feel like a part of World Campus and a part of Penn State.  They said things like, “It is incredible the way a student can be involved with this university”, “I think it is an incredible environment ..I can interact with many people that live hundred of kilometers away from me”, and “I’ve been to several colleges over the years (including another major university in Ga Tech) and they always made me feel like just a number even when I was actually living on campus…Penn State feels more like a big extended family”.

The Penn State World Campus space in Second Life is a space for all of us – not just our students.  If we think about our co-workers in extension, located all over the state, or our telecommuters working outside the Outreach Building, or colleagues located all over campus, meeting in Second Life is an incredibly convenient, inexpensive way to connect with each other.  Having a community of Outreach employees, students, and even Penn State alumni having conversations and learning about each other starts to build a community of people that truly care about their experience and about Penn State.

Your space or mine?

I’m attending the ELI Fall Focus session on Learning Spaces in Minneapolis right now. I’m a presenter/speaker talking about social networking and online/virtual communities and the work I’m doing in that realm.  Today started for me around 9:30AM with a ’speaker meeting’ where we got to meet everyone and learn about what they’re presenting and working with.  That was wonderful. It’s always fantastic to hear what everyone else is doing and learn about new and exciting ways people are thinking and rethinking learning space and learning design.

This afternoon all of the ‘Project Parlor” presenters (that’s what I am) spent an hour and 45 minutes doing a 15-minute presentation over and over for five different audiences. Let me tell you, it’s more exhausting than it sounds and when group #3 rolls in, your mind starts to play with you and you can’t remember what you’ve told one group and what you haven’t. I made it through, thank goodness but wow – this must be what speed-dating is like. I’m glad I’m married, I’d never make it.

So the good part about being a project parlor presenter is that you get to meet with everyone for at least 15 minutes and share what you’re doing. It’s a fabulous opportunity and one that I really enjoy.  Now, here comes the tricky part… for tomorrow, everyone has to choose two of the five sessions to revisit for an extended session of 45 minutes. So tomorrow, instead of 5 presentations, I’ll just do 2. Thank goodness.

What I’m learning already though, is that once again, what I’m doing, what *we’re* doing doesn’t necessarily fit into one category or any neat little space.  I’m not building physical spaces, I’m not building classrooms and I’m not an educator.  A few weeks ago this would have bothered me in that I was feeling a bit like a ‘misfit’ that didn’t really belong to any specific group, but what I’m starting to realize is that where I am is exactly where I need to be.  I need to be hearing the discussions from all sides and I need to take all of those ideas and viewpoints and perspectives and start to think about ways they can work for us in building a virtual community.  I think we all have much to learn from each other.  I’m glad to be part of the discussion.

SLCC Wrap-Up

Free wireless at the Tampa airport is a beautiful thing. I’m sitting here now reflecting on the weekend and what I am taking with me from the Second Life Community Convention.  As is typically the case at conferences and conventions, I feel like the most valuable discussions happened outside the sessions and I met so many amazing people with such passion this weekend that I am truly quite depressed at the though of leaving.

Part of what is so interesting about The Second Life Community Convention is right in the name – “community”. It’s not the Second Life Education Convention, or the Second Life Business convention, it’s all about everyone. It’s about the community, coming together to celebrate just that – being a community.

I sat in sessions about how folks are teaching science in Second Life, I learned about some of the challenges of getting businesses to understand that new and disruptive technologies are really what’s driving innovation, and I heard some pretty great keynotes that touched on a few things that I’m incredibly passionate about – community and spaces in SL. Robert Bloomfield today in his keynote mentioned that spaces themselves in Second Life can really be used to foster relationships and create emotional connections. He talked about how important those connections to the space can be and how it’s those connections that can truly make people feel as though they are part of a community.  He showed examples of a space on the Cornell campus that everyone enjoys spending time in and then showed the replication of that space in SL.  This is exactly what I’m working on for our campus so I was pretty psyched to hear that he thought it was powerful too.

I also listened to a discussion about the “inSL” logo and the use of the logo which was really interesting and something I knew nothing about.

The best part though, was meeting new people outside the realm of ‘education’ and just spending time listening to them and their perspectives. I listened to live musicians perform to the audience at SLCC, but also for the audience in Second Life. I saw a work of art being created while the music was being performed – the art was inspired by the music and community in attendance. I watched people get dressed for the “masquerade ball” and heard the stories of all the fun that happened there.

I did feel at times that there were people in attendance at SLCC that came for their one focus and in essence kept blinders on the entire time. I saw folks at times throughout the weekend, always with the same people, always in the same sessions and I wondered if they were really experiencing the entire convention and all that was happening. As I said yesterday, I think we all need to listen and learn from everyone else. If we always talk to the same people and hear the same information, are we really learning or are we just continuing to pat ourselves on the back?

I met people this weekend at SLCC that I would never have met if I just stayed in one track of the conference and sat in on every session.  I would have never known that people were disappointed there wasn’t more ’social’ focus this year. I would not have been part of the conversations on how terribly important that ’social’ component is to creating community and I would never have met some of the people in person that I’ve admired and worked with in Second LIfe.  The value of these gatherings is not in the sessions, but in the people. I can’t wait to hop back in-world and continue the discussions that were started this weekend in Tampa and I look forward to next year at SLCC where the social and creative aspects of community will hopefully take on a track of their own.

What meeting?

One of the rabbit holes that I jumped down today led me to this blog post entitled, “The Meeting Never Happens in the Meeting” that talks about the value of the conversations that happen outside the traditional ‘formal’ structure of meetings and how we should really consider how beneficial these sorts of social conversations really are.

The blog posts talks a bit about virtual environments and team collaboration in those spaces but when I first saw the title of the post I immediately thought about twitter and our local Penn State community.

I’m sure that you’re all sick to death of me talking about twitter but I really do feel that this one simple little tool has changed everything for me in a professional development and social sense.  At a recent work event, a friend sitting right beside me was someone I’d been chatting with informally on twitter for a few months but had never met in person.  There was already a familiarity and conversational ease that existed because of those informal chats via twitter.  I’m not saying this is different than the same sorts of meetings that occur online first before meeting in real-life, just that in this instance the tool was twitter.

Now, that being said.. those of you from the Penn State twitter crew know exactly what I’m talking about when I say that I honestly believe that if I weren’t on twitter and connected to the people that I’m connected to in my local community I would not be as effective at my job. I would not have the same knowledge, I would not be involved in the same collaborative projects and I would not have the same personal connections to people that work at other campuses and in other departments.  Twitter has changed *everything*.

I also strongly feel that people not involved in these local twitter discussions are missing out on great conversations, personal relationships, and problem-solving discussions that are taking place *only* in this venue.  In essence, the meeting is happening outside the meeting. We’re meeting on twitter day in and day out, and we’re having casual informal snippets of conversation that are changing our day-to-day lives.  The important stuff is happening on twitter, the formal stuff is happening in the structured face-to-face meetings.

The important stuff is the informal stuff. The off-handed comments about a particular musician that someone hates, the requests for recipes, the mention of a project that someone is working on that then leads to a discussion and collaboration on that same idea, the requests for help or advice from someone trying to decide what purchase would be best, or the sharing of the birth of a child – these are the powerful things. The things that change us as people and as a community. These are the things that feed our spirits and help us work creatively and collaboratively. This is our community. Join the meeting.

Change

There’s a lot of talk lately about a topic that I love: Change.

We’re hearing politicians talk about change, educational institutions are having discussions about changing thinking and being more ‘open’ and we’re even hearing about all of the change that’s happened in China recently as part of the the Olympics coverage.

I thrive on change. I love switching things around and seeing what happens. I love new things, new perspectives and experimentation. Change is GOOD for me.. when I’m in control of it and/or know that it will happen. I think that’s the key.

If I’m going along and then people change the plan on me out of nowhere, I will freak out. I will completely lose all sense of self and stability and it will take me a long time to become centered again and feel like I’m going in the right direction. If, however, I am aware that change is on the horizon and know to be prepared for it, and have some of idea of how this change will affect me.. then everything is good.

I think that our social technologies are all about change. They help us see things differently, they provide us with new perspectives and hopefully help us make new connections. I think maybe we should work harder to not only tell people about these things, but show them how to use them, and explain how these tools can make a difference. Show them how to embrace the change and move forward. It’s one thing to go around telling people to “Drink the Kool-Aid”, but it’s quite another to take the time to explain and show them how the tools work and how using them has the potential to change things.

Hesitation

In my position, I talk with a lot of people about social networking and new tools that have the potential to really change how we do things.  Most of the time the people that I’m speaking with are really excited about things, and eager to learn and participate – they just needed someone to show them. They needed someone to explain the tool, show how it can be beneficial, and then tell them how to get started.  If you’re passionate about what you’re telling them – then all the better because they can see how much it means to you and I think that excitement can be contagious.

Unless they don’t want to.

I won’t say that I run into a lot of these people, but it does happen. I think it’s happening less frequently lately, but it’s still there. People that already have the mindset that something is a waste of time, completely useless or won’t work.  Sometimes no amount of talking can convince them otherwise, and I’m learning – slowly – to accept the fact that I am not here to change everyone’s minds, I’m here to try and open them.  If someone is dead-set against using a technology then I am not the person to change that.  I can show them how to use it, I can get them started with it, and I can share my personal experiences with them, but I cannot make them use something they either don’t agree with, or have no interest in using.

I wonder if the resistance some people have to using new tools is truly a resistance to the tool, or a resistance to a much bigger idea of technology and connectedness. I completely understand the need to be ‘unconnected’ at times because at times our always-on lifestyle can be overwhelming and we just need to unplug for a bit to get back to our center and see things a bit more clearly. What I don’t understand is the unwillingness to experiment.

I know that we’re all busy in our lives and I understand that every day it feels as though we’re working harder and doing more, but just as Dana mentioned in her post, it’s about being connected and learning from each other and hopefully, over time, building a community of people helping each other and finding the tools that will help to make things easier for us.

The Magical Moment of Innovation

I love my job. I am so thankful that I’m able to say that and mean it. I have a job that allows encourages me to connect with others, learn new things and explore new technologies. At this point in my life, I couldn’t ask for much more.  I am also lucky enough to work for an organization that values innovation. We have initiatives aimed at promoting innovation, meetings and exercises to encourage us to think differently, and are frequently told how important innovation is to our organization.

At times I do feel like they’re preaching to the choir, because I know all those things are incredibly valuable and I certainly agree with the importance of being innovative.  I do wonder, however, how much of this is getting through to the people that don’t already know how important and exciting new technologies are.

I’ve been having to take a step back recently and remind myself that when I’m feeling like something is old and something everyone does.. some people have still never heard of it or have no idea that it exists.  That puts me in a tricky situation of feeling like innovation is passing us by while I’m still trying to teach people what a blog is.

I’ve been discussing with my colleagues about new ideas, using technology, and the power of community lately. We’re examining new ways of using blogs and e-portfolios, we’re talking about “open” resources, social responsibility and how to promote change.  These are all things that I am incredibly passionate about and to me they all seem like such logical things to do that I can’t understand why anyone would *not* want to do these things. And then I remember. I take that step back.

In my mind, it’s not that people don’t *want* to do these things, it’s that they don’t know how, or don’t understand the power in the tool.  If we all teach someone – one person – how these tools can make a difference in their life then we’ve taken a step.  If we all share our own personal stories, then we’re building a bridge.  If we all invite this person into our community then we’ve opened their eyes.

Innovation is about opening our eyes. Looking at things around us and being aware of how things are changing. Thinking differently about how we do things, and listening to others share their experiences.  Innovation is collaboration and collaboration is community.

Innovation = Community.  Be a part.

Ding Dong! Flower Delivery!

I arrived home today to find a large box on my front porch. When I realized it was a flower delivery, my mind raced trying to figure out who on earth would send me flowers. My husband’s a fabulous man, but his flowers generally are delivered in person so chances were good that it wasn’t him.

Who was it? Let’s watch this video and find out:

Oh yes my friends. I received flowers from Twinity. To congratulate me on the purchase of my new apartment. My VIRTUAL apartment. In Twinity. Dear God, that is brilliant. BRILLIANT.

I am loving the “crossover” that I’m seeing more and more between virtual environments and offline marketing. First I saw Circuit City with their iPod Nano giveaway (find it in SL, get one in RL) and now a ‘real life’ gesture perfectly normal for a house-warming being used on a virtual home purchase as well. I really love that idea. I think that we’re seeing a lot more instances of the mixing of online and offline communities, merchandise and marketing. Maybe people are finally starting to understand that all of our online relationships, experiences and communities truly do have a ‘real’ component.

Good job, Twinity. I’m impressed.

How “Friendly” are You?

We’ve had some discussion recently among the local twitter community here at Penn State about how many people we all follow on twitter.. and why.  The consensus was that most of us try to follow no more than 100 people and all for the same basic reason… it’s not beneficial. At more than 100 people, conversations begin to become fragmented and you can’t really feel connected to more than that many people.  While this may not be the case for everyone, the majority of the people I’ve spoken with at Penn State feel this way.

It was interesting then, to read this post from ReadWriteWeb today discussing this very thing. An excerpt from the post here:

“Research by Robin Dunbar indicates that 100 to 150 is the approximate natural group size in which everyone can really know everyone else. “Human beings ought to live in groups of around 150 people, judging from the logarithm of our brain size; and sure enough, studies of hunter-gatherer groups, military units, and city dwellers’ address books suggest that 100 to 150 is the natural group size within which people can know just about everyone directly,” writes Jonathan Haidt in the book “The Happiness Hypothesis,” drawing on research by Dunbar.”

The post also discusses the difference between the amount of friends a person might have on Facebook as opposed to twitter and for me there’s a difference.  I feel as though I could have a million ‘friends’ on Facebook and be fine with that because it’s not conversational in the way twitter is.  It’s like the difference between a dinner party and attending a Penn State football game. I’m ok hanging around with thousands of people as long as I don’t really want to get to know all of them. If I want to spend quality time with them.. then I’d prefer the dinner party.