IAMD students meeting at NMC SL Campus

bee Zimminy looking at IWant Twork's object work

In an effort to make herself more available to her online students bee Zimminy (AKA Prof. Bridget Sullivan Program Director for the online Interactive Media Design graduate certificate) is offering Wednesday evening office hour sessions in the virtual reality environment Second Life. TU's membership in NMC supports Prof. Sullivan's virtual learning experience for IAMD students as The IAMD-PBC is an online, interdisciplinary, integrated program that emphasizes visual communication and graphic design theories as well as current industry practices within the context of website and multimedia authoring.
Students in ART641 will investigate aspects of multimedia design including multiple user virtual environments (MUVE's). As a course activity students will be instructed to create an avatar (a 3-D game profile) in the online 3-D virtual environment Second Life. The objective is to offer classroom events and activities in the Second Life environment to expose students to the development of online virtual environments as potential business and educational destinations. The inclusion of SL activities in ART641 will provide students with an opportunity to experience and analyze a 3-D virtual reality environment first hand. Students will immerse themselves in the 3-D SL interactive environment to more fully understand the impact of 3-D simulated environments on current and future trends in interactive media design.

Get started NMC and SL - how to videos

Multimedia demonstrations and instructions

Aaron Gates, IAMD graduate assistant, has prepared three presentations to help you get started in the Second Life virtual environment.

• Setting up your membership with New Media Consortium. Latest Flash player plug-in required to view this presentation. This free membership permits you to fully access the NMC Campus in Second Life.
• Downloading SL software and setting up your membership with SL. Latest Flash player plug-in required to view this presentation. This free software and membership permits you to fully access the Second Life environment.
• Creating your SL avatar and getting around in SL. Latest Flash player plug-in required to view this presentation. This demonstration contains excellent tips and tricks to get you started in the SL environment. Aaron also shows you how to join the NMC group in SL and navigate to the Watership Cafe in the NMC Campus.

What you need "in-world"

The SL software and account are free. The membership in New Media Consortium is free. The only cost is your time. It will require approximately 6 hours to acclimate yourself to the SL environment. Text Chat in SL is free and requires no additional equipment, however if you wish to use Voice Chat in SL you will need to purchase a USB headset such as the Logitech Premium USB Headset 350 available from amazon.com for $42 (plus taxes and shipping) or available from Best Buy for $50 (plus tax and gas to get there).

NOTE: Second Life does require a broadband connection (cable or DSL) and a newer computer with 1 Gig RAM recommended. More info about SL system requirements can be found at secondlife.com

TUWireless NOTE: At this ponit in time TUWireless does not support a SL connection. You will need to be hardwired on campus to make a connection to SL.

Step by step instructions

1. Create an account and download the Second Life software from www.secondlife.com
2. Create an avatar in SL (you can change their appearance again later).
3. Visit the SL Orientation Island to learn more about how to get around in SL.
   
4. For more basic information about SL read the articles posted by Tateru Nino in www.secondlifeinsider.
5. Create an account with the New Media Consortium at www.nmc.org Towson Universiity is an insitutional member of NMC.
6. As a NMC member you can now join the NMC group in SL allowing you to meet with me in the NMC campus Waterside Cafe. With SL launched click on the Communicate button (bottom left) and select the group tab on the left. Now click the search button on the lower right and type in NMC Members. Join the group.
   
7. NMC has a great SL Orientation area as well. Check it out!
   
8. Once you have gotten yourself familiarized with SL stop by and see Bee Zimminy at one of her Wednesday evening sessions 8-8:30 pm Eastern Time. Prof. Sullivan will be at the NMC Campus Waterside Cafe. Click on the link ( a SLURL) to get into the NMC Orientation area. Fly over the rocks following the floating red arrows and looking for the red beacon revealing the exact location of the cafe.

TU joins New Media Consortium

Teachers' Buzz workshop held in NMC Campus in SL

Towson University students, faculty and staff may now join the New Media Consortium and enjoy the benefits of TU's new insitutional membership. Membership benefits include is the use of the NMC Second Life campus as an alternative learning venue.

About NMC
The New Media Consortium (NMC) is an international 501(c)3 not-for-profit consortium of nearly 250 learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies. NMC member institutions are found in almost every state in the United States, across Canada, and in Europe, Asia and Australia. Among the membership are an elite list of the most highly regarded colleges and universities in the world, as well as a growing list of innovative museums, research centers, foundations, and forward-thinking companies.

The New Media Consortium nmc.org maintains a virtual campus in the Second Life environment so that member universities may experiment with Second Life and host educational events. Beginning January 1, 2008 the award of a Teaching Innovation Grant by the Graduate School will fund an institutional membership for Towson University in the New Media Consortium. (nmc.org)

Membership benefits also include the opportunity to attend NMC in-world events and conferences. You can read about NMC campus events on the NMC Campus Observer blog.

View the movie "NMC Campus: Seriously Engaging"
Join the New Media Consortium
Download the free Second Life Software and set up your free SL membership
Teleport to the NMC virtual campus