Campus: TSL
From SimTeach
Frequently Asked Questions about Campus:TSL
PLEASE READ: The deadline to apply for admission to both Campus: Second Life and Campus: Teen Second Life was December 31, 2007. Space is limited in both Campus: SL and Campus: TSL programs. See instructions on how to apply below. If you are looking for temporary land for your class this Summer semester (2008), you might try posting on the SLED list to see if any other educators in Second Life might be able to help you!
Who is it for?
Campus:TSL (Teen Second Life) is for middle school and secondary educators and students ages 13-17.
How does it work?
The Campus:TSL program will give you the use of a dedicated parcel of land on the TSL Campus, a private island on the teen grid in Second Life. Use of the parcel of land will be completely free for the duration of your class. This allows you to try out Second Life with your class for the first time at no cost!
If you are working with students ages 13 - 17 and are planning to teach a class where you think the students might benefit from spending time in Second Life, please email claudia@lindenlab.com to let us know you're interested. Include:
- your real life name and SL name
- your school or educational institution
- Employer's ID number (EIN) or non-profit number to verify educator status
In addition, please include a syllabus, schedule, and a proposal on how you plan to use Second Life in the class. Include why Second Life will make a difference to the learning experience you're offering, whether you're planning any research leading to publication, and whether your project is intended as a proof of concept. The deadline to submit your application is December 31, 2007. After we review your application, we'll inform you by January 5, 2007 of our decision. If your project is approved, we'll email you the Campus:TSL agreement to sign and fax back and we'll email you the location of your parcel to temporarily use for free for the duration of your class. We'll also send you instructions for setting up your instructor account for Campus: TSL.
If your application is accepted, you will need to have your students make their own free accounts on the teen grid (with correct birth dates and email addresses), send us a list of names, and we will transfer them to Campus: TSL. In this case, we'll need to know the full names and email addresses of the students in your class to set up accounts.
Please note: When your class ends, we'll ask you to send us a brief summary of your experience and any insights into what we might do to improve the Campus:TSL program. We'd also appreciate copies of any student work that you can share. We encourage all participants on Campus to actively blog their experiences.
What are the rules on Ethics and Behavior?
All students will also be expected to adhere to the Second Life Community Standards.
What are the computer hardware and networking requirements?
Details here on system requirements.
Please make sure you check with your network/workstation administrator on the following technical requirements to make sure you don't run into any roadblocks.
If your school has a firewall, Second Life needs to connect to ports 443/TCP, 12035/UDP, 12036/UDP, and 13000-13050/UDP. You should configure your firewall to allow outbound traffic on those ports, and related inbound traffic.
Second Life also has network bandwidth requirements. Each computer running Second Life will need an average of 80 kbps downstream, spiking at about 400 kbps on initial connect and during teleports. Upstream is much lower, requiring 30 kbps on average. Make sure your network connection can handle these bandwidth requirements if you plan to run Second Life on multiple computers at the same time.
Are there any age restrictions?
The main Grid of Second Life is for adults only (18+). The mainland of the Teen World Teen Second Lifeis strictly for teens (13-17).
We don't allow anyone under 18 years old in the adult world of Second Life, and likewise we do not allow adult Residents (18+) on the mainland of the Teen World. Both of these worlds are separate from each other, and we do not allow inworld travel or communication between them.
Teen Second Life is a world for teens, created and shaped by teens. Please remember that falsely registering as a teen to gain access to Teen Second Life is a serious offense, and cause for permanent banishment from all of Second Life.
The only adults allowed on the mainland in Teen Second Life are Linden employees. If you are an educator and want to work with teens in Teen Second Life, there is the opportunity to buy a private island on the Teen Grid and participate, but you will not be able to leave that island and visit the Teen Grid mainland. Teens from the mainland will be able to visit your private island if/when you choose, but they will be automatically informed that there are adults present. Also, if you are planning to use a private island on the Teen Grid to interact with teens from the mainland, you will need to provide a background check for security and safety reasons.
If you'd like more details about getting a private island for education work on the Teen Grid, please read the Private Islandspage on the Second Life website.
What does it cost to bring my students and faculty into Second Life?
All basic accounts in Second Life are now free to everyone. This means that students can sign up on their own for a basic account for no charge whatsoever. If you'd like us to set up student accounts for you and assign a unique last name for everyone, we will need: 1) the full real name of each student, 2) their email address, and 3) the unique last name you'd like for everyone. Each Second Life account will then have the student's real-life first name and the last name you requested. The fee for setting this up is $150 for up to 25 accounts (if you'd like more than 25 accounts, an additional fee of $150/25 accounts will be charged). Please contact Claudia Linden for details on setting up these accounts.
Can I set up a large permanent private classroom in Second Life and restrict access to just my own students and faculty?
You can do this by purchasing a Private Island! Private Islands provide the ability to create secure "intranet" spaces with restricted membership, or you can open up access to allow educators and students to interact with all the residents of from the mainland of Teen Second Life. Linden Lab offers a discount for Private Islands to educational institutions and non-profit organizations, and you can find details on the Private Island order page.
I participated in the Campus:TSL program previously, and now I'd love to have additional classes in Second Life! How can I go about setting up another class without buying a private island?
The Campus:TSL program is focused on introducing new educators to the possibilities of Second Life, giving them an initial free land grant for the duration of their class as a way to let them "test the waters" of Second Life. If you have already participated in Campus:TSL and would like to run additional classes, you will need to purchase land for your new class. Participate in the Second Life Educators and teens email list (see below). Consider collaborating with other educators in jointly purchasing a private island on the Teen Grid. We offer discounts on Private Islands to educators (see above).
How do I connect with other educators currently working on projects in Second Life?
Linden Lab maintains a very active Educators Mailing List (SLED) to keep interested individuals alerted to education opportunities and events in Second Life. This is an ideal way for you to share experiences as well as connect with colleagues and potential collaborators. Contact claudia@lindenlab.com for more details and to be added to the list.
In addition, we have a special mailing list for educators working with Teens (13-17yrs old)- SLEDT! You can add yourself to this mailing list by visiting this page. We recommend that you join both lists if you are an educator working with Teens.
There is also a Group in Second Life called "Real Life Education in Second Life" which is also comprised of people who are interested in the educational possibilities of Second Life. If you'd like to keep in touch with other educators inworld, please feel free to join this Group (click the Find button and search under Groups for "Education"). The group is open for anyone to join, and it's another great way to find colleagues and collaborators to help you with your education work in Second Life.
Is there a way for students in my class to communicate with each other using voice chat?
Yes, Second Life has launched the Voice Client!
I still have questions about all this. Who should I contact at Linden Lab?
If you have any general questions about Campus:TSL, please contact Claudia directly either in-world or at claudia@lindenlab.com
