The Life of Julie Sugarplum

It's been a while since I did an update on the happenings of Julie Sugarplum, my Second Life Avatar. Lately, she has been working with a lot of people new to Second Life to help guide them through the learning process (how to walk, talk and dress). Seems this is a peak time for new recruits as there are many just starting college courses that are either totally or partially held in Second Life. It's fun to see full classes wander through ISTE island looking for help.
I've been picking up more docent shifts to allow more time for helping these new folks and to catch up with friends I haven't talked to in a while. In addition to the docenting, I've also scheduled a time (with Mo Hax) every Sunday evening around 6pm sl time to be in world to help anyone that wants to give second life a try or just to meet up with friends for some good old fashioned fun! Feel free to join us--we meet at ISTE HQ then typically head out to explore other islands, based on the interest/content areas of the people that join us.
Virtual Pioneers, one of my favorite groups, has had some great meetings lately. Recently, Xavier Razorfen and Austen Rae shared photos and stories from their recent trip (in real life) to China. This talk was one of the best I've attended in a while. Not only did they have fantastic pictures and stories to share about the people, the culture, etc., but they also had items to give away, quizzes and a decorated venue to make you feel like you were right there with them. That is the great thing about Second Life, you can really go all out making a presentation spectacular and it's great when people take the time to do it. If you are interested in learning more about Virtual Pioneers, visit the Virtual Pioneers Ning.
NC SL Educators recently held another meeting where we talked with Virtual Pioneers founder, Spiff Whitfield and also visited VSTE Island with Mandie Mimulus, Alfredo Bedrosian and Thunder Insippo. The theme of this meeting was to learn more about groups in Second Life that are available to teachers. It was a great success and we received a lot of great comments about the opportunities available with these groups. Our little groups of NC educators is growing and due to that, I recently asked Trig Inkpen to be a group officer. He will be helping to coordinate upcoming meetings, share information with the group, etc.
There are a few new things Julie Sugarplum is exploring that I hope to share with you soon. Fun thing about Second Life is that there is always something new to learn. I hope you'll join me in world soon! Would be glad to help you get started!