Anyone else trying to get the start up land?

HI,

Is anyone else on this forum a noob for using SL for education, who has been given the temporary free land to start things off? The campus pages refer to a start up plot of land for people assessing SL before plunging in and buying an island, etc. However, I have made several requests for this to be available and jumped through all the hoops I can see. I've got my students registered. I've made a group for them. I have emailed linden with student details, course structure etc, but to no avail. I've emailed pathfinder and the education address and asked what I am missing and how to get this land, but the only response was an early one telling me that I can buy an island...

If the opportunity for a temporary plot is there, which it appears to be, then who else is using it and can they tell me what I still have to do to qualify? Sorry to moan in public, but time is getting critical.

On the plus side, I showed one of our marketing people SL in a demo the other day; emphasising all the wonderful opportunities for our students and research - I am into AI and AL and SL is a wonderful testbed - and he asked some very interesting questions:

1) Can we have an island which has a section that is TEEN only, for working with local school children?
2) Can we have a section that is 'combat ready' (like Jessie) on an island, which intersects the TEEN section? - I think he wanted an area that children could play 'games' in, rather than one where 'dults could kill them...
3) What would it cost? I think that a weird mix of dult and teen, safe and unsafe might be quite useful, but might be 'harder' to set up.

If I can get some land and show the concept, I could probably swing a permanent investment here. Something like an island in four sectors:

a) safe dult - for constructive stuff; marketing, creation, fashion, commerce, learning
b) safe teen - same as above
c) unsafe dult - for combat game prototyping
d) unsafe teen - game testing and marketing

Is that possible?

DoctorMike, Below are the educators listed by Pathfinder Linden as offering CSL projects. I believe the have all recieved land support. TM

Resident Educator: Guidano Gascoigne
Affiliation: Cultural Computing Program at the Siebel Center for Computer Science, University of Illinois
Course: "Art in Virtual Worlds"
Student Family Name: Culcomp

Resident Educator: Tab Scott
Affiliation: School of Architecture, Montana State University, Bozeman
Course: "Digital Collaboration in Architecture"
Student Family Name: Montana

Resident Educator: Nekokami Dragonfly
Affiliation: Southern New Hampshire University
Course: "Introduction to International Business"
Student Family Name: Frost

Resident Educator: Professor Kaos
Affiliation: Department of Instructional Design and Technology, The Teachers College, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas
Course: "Foundations of Instructional Technology"
Student Family Name: Hornet

Resident Educator: DrD Koolhaas
Affiliation: University of Colorado at Denver (CU Online)
Course: "Urban Planning in the Gaming World"
Student Family Name: Deville

Resident Educator: Valentine Wiggins
Affiliation: Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California
Course: “Human Computer Interface”
Student Family Name: Wiggins

Resident Educator: AB Beach
Affiliation: School of Architecture, The University of Texas at Austin
Course: "Designing Digital Communities"
Student Family Name: Rollins

Resident Educator: Sherpa Greenleaf
Affiliation: Whittier College, California
Course: "Introduction to Sociological Perspectives on Education"
Student Family Name: Greenleaf

Resident Educator: Celia Pearce
Affiliation: University of Southern California
Course: "Multiplayer Game Design"
Student Family Name: N/A (students have created their own accounts)

Resident Educator: Moriz Gupte
Affiliation: Institute of Rural Health, Idaho State Universiwty, Pocatello
Course: "Exploring healthcare applications in Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Environments (MMORPEs) using the SecondLife platform"
Student Family Name: Bengal

Resident Educator: Virtual Bacon
Affiliation: Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, Colorado Mountain College
Course: "Education's Second Life"
Student Family Name: N/A

Resident Educator: deb Sartre
Affiliation: Montgomery College (Rockville Campus) Maryland
Course: "Introduction to Game & Simulation Development"
Student Family Name: MC

I posted the list of people who apparently got startup land. You can contact them to ask what else you may need to do. (Are you showing that your course is by an accredited, non-profit institution?) deb Sartre got land quite recently, I think, so she may have good information. This is near the end of the semester in the US and they may only be thinking about applications for next semester. But Pathfinder should have answered your query.

I don't see that startup land is all that important. A year's registration is only $70 (US). Schools I know would casually charge that as a lab fee.

Some of your questions pose problems that LL may not want to think about. The existing rules provide for separation of teens from the general adult membership. This is needed as a matter of respponsibility and liability. But let's try some clarification.

You don't really mean "unsafe." You mean weapons and damage allowed. Some people would read "unsafe teen" and think about sexual propositions. You probably don't mean teens or adults in general. You may mean teens and adults under your supervision. In that case, you (and your institution) could take responsibility and liability. In that case, you might buy a private island with permission to use it as you describe. TM

Thanks Thinkerer. Will try to get hold of some of those people suggested. Doesn't start on the absence of response issue, but puts my mind at rest and gives me hope. The land is basically to allow the students some persistence for building, and to allow our marketing and admin types to 'get a handle' on what is going on. Ironically, it is all part of my plan to get them to fund an island; I think they will need to 'see what they are buying'. The land gives a sense of ownership, which the lack of means the students just wonder about, getting awefully distracted!!!

Oh, you are right regarding unsafe. I meant combat capable. Our students build a game prototype, we ship it to the teen area, they blast away and give feedback, our students learn....

I think it might be possible to have a teen section, which only lecturers would have access to. and possibly any teachers we wished to have extended collaborations with. Anyone with access would naturally have had to be cleared. Interesting issue in itself will be how a US company deals with UK laws. Here, we have CRB checks (CRB = Criminal Records Bureau) for activities related to vulnerable adults and children. Would that be sufficient? Will have to check the web site for the protocol for all this.

The list of names will be handy, for me too. thanks

Im also looking at using SL for future classroom stuff, and struggling over how to accomodate students of mixed ages... a lot of our students start aged 17, sometimes even 16.

And then we have other students aged 50+.

Not sure the answer.. unless they can set up accounts which ONLY have access to campus islands on main grid, then either teen or adult grid according to age of account holder.

a Linden reply on this?

I don't know that they have clearly worked out a plan on this pattern. But they will need one, so let's make a trial run. Technically, they can certainly do what you say. Practically, it may not be easy.

But it wouldn't hurt to ask. Simplify the issue: The only part that matters to you is the place where you would hold your class. Your students can make their own arrangements for other access.

You want to be able to mix teens with adults in that class. So the first question is can you set up an island on either grid with registrants restricted to that island and other people prohibited? My guess is that you can. Next question: Will LL allow mixing of teen and adults if you and your institution accept responsibility and liability for the actions of the adult students. My guess is that they will have to think that over. Eventually they should come down on yes, but only after their lawyers draw up an agreement for you to sign.

The issue for LL is liability. That could be in any country where LL has assets. That is US, probably UK and maybe elsewhere. I think LL will handle the matter by insisting on certification from a recognized educational institution that it accepts resposibility and liability. It would be up to your institution to comply with UK laws.

About your previous description of the projectd. You seem to have two projects in mind. The one about the isand sounds to me like a commercial enterprise to produce games. That would not come under the CSL offer of support. If you are asking for support for an educational project, I suggest you avoid mixing that with the island matter. TM