What is Second Life?
Second Life is three-dimensional, virtual world in which people can interact as avatars (virtual representations of themselves). Individuals can design, build, meet and communicate in Second Life, making it an excellent medium for such things as role-play, creative visualization and experiential learning. All of the 2010 UNC TLT conference sessions will be located within Second Life.
The starting point and UNC TLT Second Life Conference hub will be at the NC WeBIEE within Second Life. Detailed information about getting an account, accessing Second Life, and locating the NC WeBIEE island is described below. Information about setting up your sound, moving around in Second Life, and accessing the various conference locations will be provided at the UNC TLT Conference hub in Second Life.
NC WeBIEE in Second Life
To participate in SL activities, you will need to create a SL account and avatar. You may want to view the privacy policy at http://secondlife.com/corporate/privacy.php.
Please be sure to check System Requirements, also ensure you have a headset to hear the sound, since all conference presentations will be delivered in Voice Chat.
NOTE: Not all systems are capable of running Second Life. Your individual campus Teaching and Learning/Teaching with Technology center may be making alternative arrangements for those unable to attend in Second Life directly.
How to Create a Second Life Avatar and Log In to Second Life
To create a free account go to the Second Life website.
http://secondlife.com/
1. Click “Join Now” in the upper right.
2. Choose the initial avatar appearance (this can be changed later).
3. Optional: Check Choose a Community where you will start the first time you log in to Second Life. This will take you a location that can be more pleasant than the SL default.
4. Create a name for your avatar. Avatar names cannot be changed, so you may wish to properly capitalize it, etc. You create the first name, but you pick the last name from a list. Some name combinations are already taken (especially for more common names) so if your desired combination doesn’t work, simply try another variation. The first name can be 2-31 characters (letters or numbers, case sensitive). Don't use your real name!
5. Email address (must be a valid email so you can confirm the account and “activate” it.)
6. Country of residence
7. Date of birth (to verify you are at least 18 years old)
8. Real-Life Name
9. Real-Life Gender
10. Password (6-16 characters long). Suggestion: a stronger password contains some sort of letter and number combination.
11. Security Question and Answer (in case you forget your password)
12. Enter the two given words (to verify you are not a “robot”, which can automatically create accounts)
13. Check the Terms of Service Agreement
14. Click “Create Account”.
15. Look in your email for the confirmation email from no-reply@secondlife.com, and follow the directions to activate your account
16. Download and Install the Second Life program on your computer, from the confirmation webpage. You will then be provided with an opportunity to log in to the program. This will also put the Second Life icon on your desktop for later access.
Getting to the UNC TLT Conference Hub and Orientation Center
When you log in to Second Life for the first time, you will find yourself at Second Life’s own orientation area. Please feel free to participate in as much or as little of Second Life’s own orientation as desired. However we have also created an orientation for you at the conference location on the NC WeBIEE sims. It is located next to our central conference “hub” – an area that will contain detailed conference information about sessions and locations. We suggest that you locate this area and explore it to begin becoming familiar with the conference location and Second Life in general.
Once you have created your account and have downloaded and installed Second Life on your computer, you may log in directly to our Conference Hub and Orientation area by clicking the “SLURL” (Second Life URL) below:
Conference Hub Second Life Location (SLURL):
http://slurl.com/secondlife/NC%20WeBIEE%204/224/177/22
To use the above SLURL to get to UNC TLT Hub/Orientation Center:
1. Click on the SLURL. Your web browser will open and show you a map
2. Click on “Teleport Now”
3. If you are not logged in to SL:
a. Your Second Life viewer will open
b. Login with your avatar name and password
c. You will be transported to the SLURL location
4. If you are already logged in to SL
a. A Landmark window will open
b. Click on the teleport button in that window
c. You will be transported to the SLURL location
Important: Joining the UNC TLT Group
It is very important that experienced and new users alike join the UNC TLT group within Second Life to receive important announcements about the conference, such as sessions and locations. Detailed directions for joining the group, including a direct link to do so, are located at the Conference Hub/Orientation location. However if you are familiar with Second Life, you may wish to go ahead and join the group by logging in to Second Life, clicking the Search button, locating the UNC TLT group (not UNC TLT team 2008), and joining (free).
Click “View Full Profile”.
Click Join (L$0). This will place you in the correct group for TLT Conference information and announcements.
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