The Story of My “Second Life”

ISTE-NDLW IReport Screenshot

Originally uploaded by kjarrett

Managed to file an IReport @ CNN late last night after our National Distance Learning Week panel. To my delight, they actually ran it (click here to view). The process is ridiculously simple. Take a snapshot (or record some machinima). Upload it, describe it, include your name and contact information, then submit. There’s no way to know if it will run, but what do you have to lose? My entry took all of 10 minutes to prepare.

As I suspected when I first heard about CNN’s Second Life initiative, this is sure to be a TERRIFIC way for people like us to get the word out about our educational projects on both the main and teen grids. It’s easy. It’s free. It’s excellent exposure on an International scale. Uh, hello? What are you waiting for?

I believe we, as virtual educators, have a moral imperative to share about our work and projects using this service. We are, after all, TEACHERS. So, let’s TEACH! While the amount of copy in each entry is pretty limited, I am convinced that an overabundance of high-quality, newsworthy, education-focused items on this blog will help many, many people see the potential for Second Life as a learning platform. In the end, that’s going to be good for all of us.

Hindsight being 20/20, I now realize I should have included other relevant URLs (i.e., ISTE) as well as SLURLs in my report. Something to remember for next time!

So come on, people … start grabbing those snapshots and filing your IReports. Talk about your projects, the events you cover, your international collaborations, the gatherings, the professional development opportunities, the innovative builds, everything … don’t think it’s news? Send it anyway – let CNN decide!

Carpe Diem,

-kj-