NMC Campus Observer

Next Teachers Buzz: A Lit Class with Desi

CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine) : Jun 22, 2007 09:47am

The NMC Campus Teachers Buzz is returning to its every other Monday schedule. We are looking to fill out a schedule a few weeks out, so if you are interested in hosting a tour, leading a discussion, or sharing a resource, just sign up on the wiki.

Our next meeting is Monday, June 25 at 6:00 PM SLT/PDT (check for local time), and is a special treat. Take a literature class with Desi! Desideria Stockton has invited us to be there during one of her classes in Second Life, and you can even participate in the activity as her students are doing. if you do not know her, check out our recent interview with Desi.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a student in Second Life? This week’s Teacher’s Buzz will ask you to role play the part of a contemporary fiction student at DeSales University. No prior knowledge of literature required! We will meet in the Women of Brewster Place classroom at Quiricosta (219,41,502). All participants will receive a resource kit for learning literature in SL.

Meeting place at Women of Brewster Place classroom.

Gloria Naylor wrote two books about Brewster Place. The Women of Brewster Place and the Men of Brewster Place are situated in a dead end part of a town.

Basically, the lesson for Monday is to have students select one literary term that is needed to understand fiction (for example, “setting”). Then, the students have to craft their own definition using resources from the web. Once it is approved, they will go dumpster diving for an object (we have scripted these items) and dump in their notecards. Next, they will have to go hide their objects somewhere in the apartment buildings. At the end, we will play a game with them, and they will have to take a quiz.

The assignment for Monday

Desi says we could do a survey at the end of the session for the teachers so they can assess the activity (and address assessment issues). Or we could survey the DeSales students as well, to get their spin on the same activity.

Knowing Desi’s creativity and energy, this should be a fabulous opportunity to experience a learning activity in Second Life.