Does absence make the heart grow fonder?

I’ve been wrapped up in the vortex that is the start of the Fall semester. I’m teaching two classes this semester, a writing class and my usual New Student Seminar course. Both will be required to have accounts on: Second Life, MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, and I’ve just decided to add Skype. To what extent each of these is used will depend on the direction the courses take. Second Life will be the most widely used. More on that at is progresses.

While working on some prep for class I began thinking about what I would want from life. I went back to something I’d written not so long ago and found that I’d listed seven different items:
* Freedom with my time
* Eat well
* Be healthy
* Enjoy the company of others
* Travel frequently
* Live comfortably
* Laugh a lot

These are not listed in order. :- )

Virtual Worlds Hot Topics Discussion at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference in Seattle

I am thrilled to announce that EDUCAUSE has scheduled a Virtual Worlds Hot Topics Discussion for this year's Annual Conference in Seattle. The conference will take place from October 23rd to the 26th at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

Details on the full convention can be found here - http://www.educause.edu/e07

The Virtual Worlds Hot Topic Discussion will be held on Thursday, October 25th from 12:45pm to 2:15pm (PDT) in Room 211. The description of this event is:

Will teaching in a virtual environment really be the next big thing? A number of institutions and faculty think so, and that number is growing. This session brings together those who want to discuss how virtual learning environments impact all facets of the institution. Given the position of Second Life in this arena, it will probably dominate most discussions.

http://www.educause.edu/E07/Program/11073?PRODUCT_CODE=E07/CI17

I've made arrangements for there to be a laptop, project, and a static IP address which will enable us to stream SL into the conference location. Streaming the conference into SL is going to be up to us. More on that in a second.

If you are planning on attending EDUCAUSE, please make sure to include this event on your schedule. A good show this year could very well lead to a great commitment from EDUCAUSE ( i.e., I'm working to try and establish a Constituent Group, etc...)

If you have not decided if you will be attending, I hope this will push you off the fence. :-) Its usually a good conference, plus...I'll be there! :-)

If you cannot attend, I'm hoping you'll attend the in-world session.

I am looking for volunteers on two fronts:
1) people who can help work on the technology aspect of this with me
2) people who are willing to work as in-world organizers.

Please respond to me directly (sorry.afk@gmail.com).

More on this as it comes together.