No doubt I love Twitter for meeting new people and planning collaborative projects. However, I often run into the problem that most of the incredible people I meet on Twitter I would like to know much better.
Wouldn’t it be nice to just share a cup of coffee with them at a nice cafe or enjoy a nice chat on a swing set?
Second Life has provided me with this opportunity! Through Second Life I have been able to establish relationships! This stage is what I call the next step in developing a strong Professional Learning Network (PLN) by establishing relationships. A mentor of mine when I was a child used to say, “Involvement equals stick-ability.” If you do not want to lose touch of your PLN then you need to involve yourself in their projects, discussions, and build relationships.
Second Life and your PLN
I think educators underestimate the value of Second Life for making real connections and for professional development. You get to really know a person’s humor, personality, and idiosyncrasies while traveling to new worlds and interacting with the sims. I have met some adventurous educators who are not afraid to have fun and are extremely dedicated to their jobs. I am frequently amazed by what I learn about what incredible feats they have mastered in their classrooms and the incredible skills they have developed. For example, a majority of my Second Life companions speak at least two if not more languages. Moreover, several are bloggers, have explored various countries in real life, and have been published in magazines and journals. They teach beyond walls and are extremely dedicated to their families.
If you are ready to establish relationships, then you may consider joining the SLife is Life Ning. We continuously educate teachers on the use of Second Life for educational purposes. Twice a month, Aniya (the English Teacher) and I will host a free Newbie Teacher Second Life Field Trip for those who want a guide into the strange virtual world! Join our Ning to keep updated with events! As you can tell in the picture above we visit several educational sites and attend professional development classes and seminars. Additionally, we have a lot of fun afterward and socialize. The socializing part is optional. Our next huge event will be Aniya’s birthday bash on Second Life on Saturday, August 29th!
If you enjoyed this post, you may want to check out these global projects I have been a part of since Twitter:
Challenge:
Make goals to connect with someone from a different continent or school.
Would you like to let us know about your global connections? Please contact me!
Thanks again to you and Aniya for making it so easy for newbies
I do think we also need f2f meetings to make things even more real at some point. It’s like conference calls, in a way: It’s easier to communicate with people you’ve met in person, at least it is for me. We found in the teacher association I’m a part of that it’s also beneficial to places together, so a bunch of us actually traveled to IATEFL as a group, and it really brought us together. So these networks seem to go through a whole series of “levels” 
so to speak!
Hi Anne,
Karenne and I were thinking of planning to travel together to meet Burcu and others at IATEFL in Harrogate. Would you be interested?
O boy, I really hate the feeling that I’m missing out on such a fun & educational thing… boo hoo me… just that right now I can’t take on any more activities as already need to learn so many other skills for project am working on – very scary how many frogs already have in the air!
Perhaps in the fall when everything settles – hope you guys will let me in then!
I love your ultra groovy hair by the way!
xxK
Karenne,
The groovy hair was only for this pic! LOL! Definitely when you have a little less frogs on your table we would love to have you. Great thing I get to hang out with you in real life!
Shelly,
Everytime I read about Second Life, I have the same feeling like Karenne ‘Missing too much!! That would be great to meet you and others f2f even we are SL avatars =)
BTW,I liked your SL pictures, you must have had great time!!
I hope to attend Aniya’s birthday bash!! Do we bring presents ?
Ozge
Ozge,
With Aniya you always gotta bring presents! LOL! It was great seeing you at Nik Peachey’s event and I look forward to seeing you on more adventures!
Great post! I hope your readers will come and meet TELF.net’s latest guest, Nergiz Kern. She has some great advice for teachers who may be interested in SL.
http://edition.tefl.net/guest/second-life-language-teaching/