Rudi Rieko

Yes…The Wiki has been Wordled!

So many links and sites can be utilized as a social network. What has happened with this explosion is immediate access for many people. This is a way for people with the same interests to gather. Now, not one person holds the key to the puzzle “but” many. Wikipedia has a List of Social Networking sites…What makes this so amazing is that anyone can come in and edit this list…adding to it or removing some no longer in existence. I found a YouTube video that says it better than I ever could!

OK. So I created my first Wiki! Now how do I use it? Who can edit it? What the heck am I getting myself into?! These are the first thoughts that crossed my mind during this creation process.

This Wiki is for a Spring Semester course I teach fully Online (CSA 149: Second Life Virtual World). It will be used to house tutorials, web links and “SLurls”. The participants will be able to add to the latter two components. Anything else will not be editable.

Within this class, I have a few Scavenger Hunt assignments. The Wiki may be a better environment to add the information than how it is set up currently. Participants can then see what another person has added…Making the next person search out somewhere different; this making the assignment more difficult…Though I like the idea of participants creating notecards in-world, this may be a different solution…Still not sure how this aspect will play out…Mulling it around in the brain now…Ouch!…I think I hurt myself by thinking too hard ;-)

Within the tutorials, more than just video can be added. Scripts and animations for participants to use can also be placed here. This may also be more useful for the final exam than how it is implemented at the present…I’d think about it more “but” I don’t want to hurt myself again…

All in all, it seems that the Wiki can be of use. The class already has a Blog…Why not add the Wiki…Geez…Am I just creating more work for myself? I thought technology was suppose to make my life easier…

Teamwork. People say they have this great asset and use it…but do they really? What exactly is Teamwork? About.com describes this as: “Fostering teamwork is creating a work culture that values collaboration. In a teamwork environment, people understand and believe that thinking, planning, decisions and actions are better when done cooperatively. People recognize, and even assimilate, the belief that “none of us is as good as all of us.”

To me, every opportunity you have to share something should be met. Many people hold onto their small secrets in hopes to look better than others. Why is this? There was a time when I was at this place in my life…standing above others…then I realized, these people were holding me up. Without them, I would have fallen flat on my face.

In the world of technology, this can be tough. There is so much out there. What one believes to be the best, another user may find hard to use.  Where is the line drawn when a team must follow one direct technology and others may not feel comfortable with this? Who makes that deciding factor? When is enough…enough…

I leave you with a vision of Teamwork:

As many of you know, I am a Second Lifer. This Virtual Environment has become a second home for me. In fact, my oldest sister is “in-world”. We see more of each other now than ever before. It has actually bettered our relationship. All in all, this has been a grand experience for me and I have met some very wonderful people in Second Life.

Many view this environment to be silly and of no use. I see it as a way to express your creativity and to provide the same old material in a different manner! I have had personal experience of this. For the first time offered on Yavapai College campus, I taught a Second Life basics class. It was very interesting in bringing many people in different locations together at one time. It was also a learning experience for all involved. The class gave students an opportunity to explore areas they never thought they could. Places such as The Star Trek center; The Hague; Renaissance Era and so many more. It has brought to me, new ways of presenting material to students. If you are interested in the class, it is offered in the Spring Semester only and is CSA 149 Second Life: Virtual World.

Sure, there are those who are all about the social aspect of the world. They come in and look for relationships and other “stuff”. I can tell you though, that there are even more who are about education in Second Life. This is a growing population. In fact, my Second Life’s “persona” has virtual property which is next to a whole educational community…Chilbo. This SIM was created by Chris Collins (AKA Fleep Tuque), who is a very involved person in the educational world.

The following is a very…VERY…silly interpretation of Second Life and how to Survive…