CCSL Mentoring Session, originally uploaded by notmarian.

So I started this group called “Community Colleges in SL” (CCSL) within Second Life. It now has over 100 members and is growing by the day. We had two meetings last week and an excellent turn-out at both. The special Wednesday meeting focused on mentoring of new avatars, getting them acclimated and answering questions. It was sort of chaotic, but our group’s lead mentor, LoriVonne Lustre from Nova Scotia CC, did a great job of new person wrangling.

The regular Fridays-after-work meeting topic was “Grant Funding: Blessing or Curse?” Desi Stockton (LCCC), Kavon Zenovka (Front Range CC) and Cudjoebill Thibaud (FKCC) spoke about their experiences with grant funding in SL and offered the group much food for thought. One point stood out loud and clear to me–grant reviewers either, a.) do not “get” community colleges or b.) do not understand virtual worlds. We must remember that grant reviewers are oftentimes retired University faculty and administrators. Perhaps they are not kept up or that keen on technology. (I should not generalize, sorry!) A solution to part of this problem is Community College faculty making time to work as grant reviewers when these opportunities are available. The CCSL group will talk often about the grant topic, I’m sure. If you would like a transcript of this meeting, please visit the CCSL Resource Center in Second Life at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduisland%204/112/88/25

This Friday’s meeting topic will be “IT: Friend or Foe?” focusing on how to improve our relationships with our IT departments and work with them toward a mutual understanding (ie. get them to understand that new technologies in teaching are not their “problem.”) Innovation in teaching and learning must be a collaborative effort in the Community College if we are to remain an attractive and viable education option for students.

If you work or study at a CC and would like to join the CCSL group or just get started in SL, please leave me a comment or contact Pipsqueak Fiddlesticks in-world. The CCSL is here to help!