Introducing a New Opportunity for SL™ Educational Organizations

[Kyoko]

To Rosie:
All that we know at this point is that there will be a "shift window" if needed, but the actual window will be set later after "EDuland" is up and running.

[Kyoko]

I had 2 meetings yesterday Re: "Eduland". As a result I need to update you a bit.

We are wanting to get a pilot group up as quickly as possibly. Since there is a time constraint, and the CDS process would take time (Public posting discussion of the offer/Holding a Referendum), we would most likely be in the second group to be invited, We are still in the mix, no worries there. Just a bit delayed.

On another topic I will be mostly AWOL for a few days taking care of a health issue. Wordsmith Jarvinen (a CDS citizen and member of the MOVE Team) has kindly offered to step in during my absence. Be kind to him as he also has many tasks as Chancellor of Caledon Oxbridge University.

[Indigo]

First off, I'd like to thank Kyoko for allowing to pester her in-game over this matter. It has taken a few days to allow me access to write on the forum and I was unable to express myself here until today. While I am a relatively new resident to CDS I hope to remain and call it home for the next couple of years and this move would have an impact on what I forsee my future plans to be.

I am a poet and writer. I speak at public events, give lectures, and teach workshops in the real world. Connecting CDS to an educational center would be an asset to me as long as what I plan to teach doesn't need to go through a committee layer. Having access to additional exposure for classes, book launches, and speaking events is something I would be glad to see.

I am disappointed about CDS not being linked to the Blake Sea. Originally, I thought that the move to the educational sim would also link us there, but I now see I was in error. I love to sail. To have easy access to rez my boat and go onto the public waters would have been a boon. I agree with Rosie that having our sims waterways become functional instead of simple mooring locations would be a good thing. Perhaps the development of a small marina could be implemented after such a move. However, I do not see the lack of access to Blake Sea as a deal breaker to the education plan. I believe the former takes precedence.

Permanent residents come from the newly arrived to Second Life more often than from established residents of other areas. Being an educational area means that we might meet and engage people that are new to the platform and help them regard CDS as their first home. SL is going to need to offer more incentives since we don't use googles here for 3D emersion into the platform as other Meta services will. Education and culture are solid offerings in that regard. Our current population has much to offer in these realms and could flourish as an educational center.

I am hanging up my sailor's cap and vote in favor of the link to the educational organizations. Kyoko has my support, for whatever it is worth.

[Kyoko]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response to this opportunity. And we welcome you to CDS and look forward to what you will do here.

Let me respond to your concerns.

1. As long as your classes and events fall until the maturity rating of M, they will be fine.
https://community.secondlife.com/knowle ... tings-r52/
If it edges into the Adult rating then both CDS and the Eduland Management Group would need to take a look. Eduland understands that there are times when nominally Adult content is appropriate, given the wide range of topics in Academia. So exceptions are going to be possible on a case by case basis.

2. We are all disappointed re: Blake Sea access. Linden Lab has given Eduland a full sim free of any charges. But are not willing to the bear the server cost of that many water sims. It is possible that some members of Eduland would add a couple, but most of us have budget constraints. On the other hand, as you note, there is potentially a great deal to be gained from being a part of this project.

Thank you for your support.

[Cathy Sabre]

Perhaps some of you may remember that Widget Whiteberry produced a series of lectures in CDS, which I wish had been more fully supported by the community. The quality of the speakers was world class, the audience keenly involved in the Q&A sessions, and each experience was a memorable occasion. I. for example, was especially interested in a presentation by a psychology professor from George Washington University, on his research into dreams.
Perhaps, many years later, we can introduce something like that again. It's an experience I miss.

[Kyoko]

I agree Cathy. I arrived in CDS towards the end of that era and being a member of VWEC EDUverse would encourage us to explore those kinds of events again.

[Tor Karlsvalt]

Some pertinent information regarding this VWEC Eduverse venture: https://community.secondlife.com/forums ... nt=2425247

This was a reply to a post of mine on the SL Forum.

Included there are links to the criteria, a rough map of some locations already committed and the application.

It appears we would have to qualify as an approved Linden Labs community.

Move Request Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dY3vIy ... ested=true

Membership Criteria and the Map:

[Sudane Erato]

I think we have an opportunity here to be very clear and to define ourselves on our own terms, and to challenge LL (since it is made very clear that LL has the last word... whenever didn't they?) to either accept us into this project or not. Madori Linden appears to have made their position clear... that LL will accept us. We just need to respond with a succinct statement of who we are.

The central statement here is, of course line 5:

"To be eligible, a region must conform to the following:

1) Be owned by an educational organization, non-profit, or Linden Labs approved community organization

2) The regions must be either G or M rated

3) The region must primarily conduct activities aimed at one or more of the following activities: (i.e. > 60%)
a) Educational classes, Workshops, Demonstrations, Forums,
b) Preparation spaces for the provisioning of educational content
c) Dissemmination of educational information (libraries, museums, art galleries)
d) Private meeting space for student - instructor tutoring
e) Self-Paced Learning activities
f) Sandbox
g) Marking and Promotion of education and/or non-profit activities

4) Activities that can be allowed but should not represent the majority of activities (i.e. < 30%)
a) vendors (non-education related)
b) social clubs
c) entertainment venues
d) personal residences"

By strict reading, we do not comply with that definition. Our very existence... our purpose, AND our economy... require that far more than 30% of our resources (whatever they mean by "activities"???) be devoted to personal residences. We are, after all, a COMMUNITY involving people who LIVE HERE. And that community is an 18 year experiment in community self-governance with NO special support from LL (other than the original transfer from Anzere to the private island Neualtenburg... and the providing us with the small promotional parcel on Anzere).

With this published "requirement" in place now, one which we clearly do not comply with, no matter how hard we try to twist definitions, it's time now for us to respond with our own definition of ourselves, and put THAT into our application to participate in this project. I remain convinced that our participation would be GOOD for US, GOOD for the other participants in the project (they will grow to understand much better how SL really works!), and GOOD for LL.

Sudane.................

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

Thanks for that info, Tor; that presents a different picture from what we've seen previously. I find this wording interesting:

and includes a boundary of 2 regions separation from other non-education related regions [emphasis added]

That's not quite the same thing as "there will be two empty regions between us and every other region/estate". I'd like clarification from LL regarding this, since one of the selling points presented to us has always been "we won't be shoved up against another estate".

[Kyoko]

Thank you for your comments. I will do my best to respond to your concerns.

The team, in the course of the intense two months that this project has been developing, missed that the concerns you are expressing are shared by many of the interested educational institutions as well. As a response, the VWEC and Community Virtual Library leaders of the team asked me to help write a FAQ, with input from all team members. While it is still in process, I hope I will be able to share it with you later today or Thursday.

Let me address your concerns you in order.

1. The Guidelines were developed by a MOVE Team working group, not Linden Lab, although the team's liaison Madori Linden was certainly consulted. So any questions about them should be directed to the MOVE Team.

The 30% number you are concerned about is in the process of being softened or removed. I will certainly keep you posted on that. It will take a bit of time as the MOVE Team is rushing to get the Welcome Island to a soft public opening before a Virtual Education conference begins on March 27.

2. Linden Lab's concern is mostly with TOS, adherence to stated Maturity Ratings (G and M) and Community Standards. VWEC is the responsible organization for the development of the project. As Sudane has indicated, Madori Linden is supportive of our inclusion. She will be coming to CDS to answer our questions in early April -- more details soon. We expect there will be a Linden Lab blog post soon.

The VWEC and CVL leaders have both toured CDS and totally understand what we have to offer to the consortium. Support for CDS within the team is high.

4 Last, but far from least, Sylvia's concern (which we all share).

The 2 sim boundary is for the whole Educational Reserve. All regions and estates inside those boundaries will be surrounded by, at a minimum, a 1 sim buffer of empty space that will appear as water. CDS will retain its water views and will not see another sim. However, up in the sky above the sim you may see other platforms etc., but they will be one empty space "sim" away and not accessible except by a portal or teleport. The forthcoming FAQ will discuss this as well as other issues.

Kyoko

[Lilith Ivory]

I admit seeing sykboxes from the ground can be a bit annoying. We had this problem in our own estate before.
So I got curious and went to CDS, set my graphic settings to ultra and my draw distance to 1024m ...
I tried as hard as I could to spy skyboxes from the ground but all I found was one level of the School in NFS that was at a high of 577m.
So I think if our neighbor regions keep a minimum high of 1000m we won´t be able to see anything

[Gwyneth Llewelyn]

I know I'm piping in late, but I fully support the move and subscribe to Sudane's thought on the subject!

Indeed, it seems that the CDS, because of its founding framework and original concept, may fall a bit short on all requirements, but... as Sudane so well put it, LL may be inflexible on some things, but willing to discuss others. Very likely, most of the so-called requirements were drawn by Linden staff without any previous knowledge on which communities were interested to join; or, at best, only a few had been polled and they tried to be flexible enough to accommodate most of their requests and settle their fear and doubts.

But it seems rational to believe that as more communities are willing to join this project, they will tweak their requirements, in order to accommodate those that are interested in joining and interesting for others to visit

All I can say is that we have, indeed, an educational purpose: To learn about democracy while putting it in practice. And we're good at it; almost two decades, and we're still around, which is something that a small number of SL communities can brag about. Also, I'm sure we could give a certain avatar who conspicuously goes by the nickname 'V. Putin' some lessons...

[Kyoko]

Well Sudane, in conversation with me, has cleared up Lilith's concern entirely. With the empty "sim" space between us and another region we will not see any other sim or its objects. This holds whether we are on the ground or 2,000 meters in the air.

Gwyneth, thank you, as you express my belief that we are, in fact, educational. The other issues you raise I have talked about earlier, but will share again.

1. While LL will check for compliance with TOS, Maturity Ratings (G or M) and Community Standards, the decision on the CDS application will be made by the MOVE Team formed by the organizing body, VWEC. (Virtual World Education Consortium) There is strong support for CDS in that group.

2. The guideline were developed by the MOVE team, consulting with the team's liaison, Madori Linden, of course, and are, despite the current text, just that, guidelines. As I indicated they are in the process of being relaxed. I will keep CDS posted. The intent of VWEC Eduverse is to be inclusive, not exclusive.

As for V. Putin, I did laugh, but I have friends who were caught in that war. Fortunately they were able to get to Poland 2 days ago and are staying with a mutual friend.

[Kyoko]

Finally figured it out. *sighs*

The VWEC Eduverse FAQ

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kpv ... ue&sd=true

[Lilith Ivory]

Sorry to be a pain ....
but I miss the answer to "What are the guiding principles of governance at VWEC Eduverse?" in the FAQ document.
And what are "general EDUverse matters?