House of Usher: Baby Sitting Madeline

Hastening to the House of Usher based on an urgent request from my dear old friend Roderick Usher, my companions and I were oblivious to the horrors that awaited us. Weary from our travels, my companions and I stopped in a village right outside the Usher mansion. During our visit, we found out that the situation was even more unnerving than Roderick's letter described. The villagers told us about an ancestral curse that hovers over the mansion and provided additional insight to our friends incurable and peculiar maladies. The villagers also informed us that they had not seen either Madeline or Roderick leave the house in many months because of their situation. My companions and I were horrified to hear about the distressing situation of our friends, so we hastened on in the morning to the house to see if we could help.


Arriving at the Usher mansion, my friends and I were astounded by the condition of the house. The exterior was dilapidated and eerie. We hesitantly entered the house and continued to the upstairs section where we encountered our dear friends. They greeted us with gracious welcome and expressed their sincere happiness that we were able to come visit them.

After pleasantries were expressed, I asked Roderick to explain more about his letter and why he summoned my companions and I there so urgently. I wanted to know what he thought we could do to help his sister and him. Roderick then explained about their situation. He said that their situation became worse after their mother's death and the family is now plagued by economic problems. They also believe that the house is haunted by a spirit and if they go outside the curse will kill them. For this fact, Roderick and Madeline do not go outside. We tried to convince the Usher's that there was no curse, but they would not believe otherwise, so we decided to investigate the house, while the Usher's rested.


With Roderick's permission, to investigate his house, my companions and I tried to find the sources of the Usher's beliefs about a curse and the house being haunted. My friends and I all took turns following Madeline around because Roderick told us that her illness was worsening and baffling her doctors. We wanted to make sure no harm came to her. Madeline's declining health, was one of the main reasons that Roderick called us to his home.

We needed to keep tabs on Madeline so while one watched her, the others explored and questioned Roderick. Opening up, he told us all about his mother's passing and how hard it was on his sister and him. They have not been the same since. He showed us a picture of her in the house and is convinced her ghost is haunting the house. There were some oddities about the house and we did randomly hear screams and objects moving when no one is around, but I was convinced that there was no ghost.

All the signs pointed to the fact that the Usher's have just been in the house too long, because no matter what I told them, they would not be convinced of anything else, but that they were cursed. So to ease their suffering we just followed them around and talked to them, and tried to take their mind off all their issues. I think it worked because the random screams in the house started to diminish and the house seemed habitable again.

As the end of our visit drew near, both Madeline and Roderick seemed to be doing better. Madeline was did not seem to be aimlessly wondering around anymore and was in better spirits. I was hoping to help the escape the faith that I found in the basement. The skeleton was scary. I don't know who it was but I did not want it to happen to either of my friends. My companions and I were going to restore health to the Usher house. We seemed to have completed that mission.


Madeline was alive when we left the Usher house, so it seemed like we successfully saved her from being buried alive like in the actual story written by Poe. We did not cure the Usher's, but I think that we did help them in a small way but showing them that they have friends to count on and help them. Our trip to the Usher house was successful.

In hindsight, the actor's playing Madeline and Roderick were very good. They were very believable and never once faltered in their character roles. However, the role play would have been even better if verbal communication was possible. Their roles could be expanded by being able to verbally speak in the diction of the times. There was also some delay in the actor's typing so they could not move and type at the same time. That was a little cumbersome, but manageable. There also could have been a doctor in the simulation to speak about Madeline's condition. Roderick could have also read tales from the book mentioned in Poe's real story. This are all things that could expand the Usher's roles.

Mission Code Name: Saving Isis and Gender and Race Switch Project

Its the middle of November already!? This month has been a really busy month for my English class. We were assigned two fun, but in depth projects in Second Life and Heritage Key. One was called Saving Isis and the other was called a Gender and Race Switch. These were time consuming projects and we had to write long Wiki projects on them, but I still managed to have fun while completing them. We worked in groups for our Saving Isis project, and I even was fortunate enough to complete at least the adventure part of our gender and race switch project with a friend.

For our Saving Isis project, we were challenged with the task to find a way to save the mural Howard Carter destroyed when he uncovered the Tomb of King Tut. He had cut through a beautiful mural of an Egyptian Goddess, just so he could remove the sarcophagus of the King.  Carter discovered the tomb in 1922 and didn't have the same technology we have, so my group of peers and I set out to devised a plan to save her. After extensive research and much bickering between our group, we came up with a final solution. We wrote and explained all about our plans in our wiki's how we bypassed the mural and rescued King Tut's sarcophagus an treasures without destroying Isis.

Our second project was a gender and race switch project, in which we had to switch our avatar's race or gender. I transformed into a African American female and my friend transformed into a blond haired girl. Our task was explore Second Life and see if we were treated differently. I was fortunate to share this experience with a friend. Luckily, I was not discriminated against at all in Second Life and instead I was actually flirted with. As me and my friend explored, we took pictures of the people we met and interacted with, so we could write our project about our experiences in our new skin. We both had a pleasant experience and was able to write about something happy in out Wiki's. I had a blast.

These projects were long and time consuming, but they were the most interesting ones of my English class so far. I enjoyed solving the Isis mystery and my experiencing Second Life as an African American avatar. I had an intriguing and insightful experience working with these projects.

YoVille vs. Second Life

On Facebook, there is a miniature virtual world called YoVille that fairly resembles Second Life. In YoVille the avatars are very short with heads larger than their bodies. The avatars are very unrealistic, but I still play YoVille religiously. I am very addicted to YoVille, beacause it is very simple to understand, unlike Second Life. Second Life, I find, is much more complicated than YoVille, but definitely more sophisticated than it.

In YoVille, you are able create an avatar and dress it just like in Second Life, but in YoVille you are automatically given and apartment to decorate and use. This differs from Second Life, in which you need to purchase land if you want to build or decorate anything and you pay with real money. In YoVille, you are allotted two hundred coins initially to purchase furniture and decorations for you apartment. There are many shops were you can buy food, clothing and flowers because YoVille is its own little town. Once you run out of coins, though you can go to work and earn more. You can buy YoVille dollars with real money if you wish, but you don't have to. You can also earn coins by visiting your friends that are members too. Second Life does not allow you to earn Linden dollars and instead you have to pay real cash for them.

Second Life and YoVille are complete opposites. Second Life is much more realistic than YoVille, and much more advanced. There are also nowhere near as many avatars in YoVille as there is in Second Life, but to me YoVille is more fun to me. It is much more simplistic and sometimes simpler virtual worlds are better.

Altering Poe

"It was the work of the rushing gust- but then without those doors there DID stand the lofty and enshrouded figure of the lady Madeline of Usher. There was blood upon her white robes, and the evidence of of some bitter struggle upon every portion of her emancipated frame." The lines describe the mysterious Madeline Usher, who in Poe's story there is very little detail about who she was and what malady she suffered from. Her brother, Roderick Usher, is just as mysterious suffering from a different illness, which source is never found out and only hinted at in Poe's story. Why are these characters so mysterious to us and why does the narrator and Roderick's friend not explore more about the situation.

To change Poe's story, I would play Roderick's friend that he asked to come visit him. The friend/ narrator seems to be a bystander in the whole story. I would be a more active participant and try to uncover the cause of my friend aliments. I would definitely not just take my friend's word for it about his sister that the physicians could not cure her. The friend just seems to accept everything that Roderick says and does not question the mysterious nature of the the house and his friend and his sister. I would never let this happen. I would try to uncover the mystery so I could aid my friend's suffering instead of just letting him continue to slid into the darkness of his mind. If I was in the story, I would try to talk to Roderick about what happened since the last time that I saw him and then when I had the full story I could decide the best way to help him and his sister.

Roderick might be resistant to telling me about his history but I would press him until he told me. I would also have to be careful to determine if he is telling me the truth or not. Roderick did not seem in the right state of mind, so he might not be able to recall how he came to be in this condition. I would not let that deter me. I would try asking the servants what they have seen and heard. Once I could understand the problem I would be able to find the solution.

I would alter Poe's story in this way, because as Poe wrote it, there are too many unanswered questions left at the end. The mysterious ending fascinates some readers, but I was left very frustrated and annoyed and would really enjoy be able to change the story.

Second Life...A good communications technology?

How do you work this? The biggest problem SL faces as a communications technology is its not easy and accessible for everyone to use. Second Life is a difficult technology to decipher without have an "inside" source, e.g. an experienced Second Life user. I don't think I would have every been able to figure out how to create and modify my avatar without the assistance of my teacher. He has been involved with Second Life technology for a while  and I never would have figured out how to teleport anywhere or talk to anyone without him! Most people don't have time to sit down and read pages and pages of instructions or tutorials. They want to just be able to easily communicate and navigate around. Second Life lacks this quality factor of a distinguished communication technology.

Second Life software, in simplest terms, needs to be "dumbed" down for even the most technologically challenged person to understand how it works. I believe when Second Life is  easier to use, then more people will join to be able to explore and talk and hang out with friends that they rarely get to see. It is just too complicated right now and less people are joining, so the world looks empty. Second Life has loads of potential to be an excellent communications technology, but work still needs to be done to promote and search for new members and expand the world by making it business-friendly. Only then in my opinion, will Second Life be an awesome way for people and businesses to communicate. Once Second Life is simpler I believe more people will join.

Avatars Have Feelings Too!!

Cinderella and I, It and I or how should I refer to my extension, since we are not the same? This is the question I now propose since it has been brought to my attention that I have been assimilating myself too much with my avatar, Cinderella. To what extent can an avatar be considered a person? If avatars are not people, well virtual people, what is Cinderella? A virtual computer thing just shaped like a person?  It's not me, it's a digital copy, just an online representation of my personality, or is it?

Ahhhh! All those many questions are daunting me and just roaming around in my head. I have actually contemplated and reflected on them randomly many times already in my classes. I still cannon figure out the best way to refer to my avatar without always saying "my avatar." I believe that Cinderella is a part of me, an extension of my personality, so I don't see any reason not to say "Cinderella and I" but is that correct way of referring to it/her? I do not believe that I am at the point where my avatar and I have become one, as some people have mentioned to me, because my avatar lives in a completely different world than I do. Possibly on some rare visits Second Life, Cinderella and I have become one, only because I have found myself being immersed in SL as I am sure many of you have. I do still know the difference between reality and virtual reality and i have not blurred that boundary yet. So Cinderella is not me, but then again what is it/she? I created her and control her and tell her what to say, so what does that make it/her?

Has anyone else encountered this problem? I feel like I have gone around in circles trying to figure theses questions out and so now I am asking for help. My question to everyone is..What is your avatar to you and how do you refer to him/her/it? I am so confused!!

Another Virtual World to Explore?

Another account activation + another software download + another avatar created and appearance changed + a ballon ride to Egypt= joining the Heritage Key Virtual World. A few days ago I joined the Heritage Key Virtual world and began to explore. Even though all the control buttons were the same to handle the avatar, congruently there were multiple differences between Heritage Key and Second Life virtual worlds. 

Some differences were Heritage Key avatars were uglier, in my opinion, and the world was much more based for education than Second Life. Heritage Key is a re-created simulation of the excavation of King Tutankhamun's tomb which gives it a historical base and Second Life has places that are educational, but it is not based in education, more for just entertainment. Also there were still very few places to visit and explore in Heritage Key and the world is not fully developed. Joining this new virtual world was another assignment for my English class that we will have to learn how to save the Isis mural that was destroyed when the tomb was first discovered. This is going to be a difficult task and I am going to have to do an abundant amount of research about archeology to even start to tackle this task.

Heritage key could be so much more interactive than it is now by telling us the history of the tomb or what the hieroglyphics on the walls mean. Some parts are really amazing replications of ancient Egypt artifacts, but the world is still under developed. I need to explore much more to see the real benefits of the new Heritage Key virtual world.

BURN IT ALL DOWN!

Time for the final curtain call! As the Burning Life 2009 Festival draws to close this weekend, the final "burning" events have been taking place before "POOF" everything is gone until next year. The temple is ready to be burned down. Cinderella and I were in attendance for the epic burning of the temple and it was an unforgettable visual that is seared into my memory, even though I wasn't technically there, Cinderella was. I have never seen anything like it even in real life! A building burst and was engulfed into flames in a virtual world, and that just makes it all the more amazingly cool.

One minute the temple is visually in front of me and the next it's a fireball of red, yellow, and orange and then reduced to tiny pieces. Everyone was cheering in the wake of the destruction of this beautiful temple, a pack of pyromaniacs, encouraging the fire to keep burning the temple to the ground. It was really a sight to see as certain parts of the temple would burn and then it would switch to another section, and then the whole place would light up again. All avatars that were there were yelling, dancing and having a great time and being rowdy. There was even a avatar that was on fire literally! The sight was just unforgettable!

As the temple was reduced to ash, it symbolizes the end of the Burning Life Festival in Second Life. The week long festival will vanish now until next year when the "burning" starts again and avatars get revved up for another week of astonishing events. Cinderella now has to retire her burning hat and store it in inventory for next year's festival when it can be worn again. Cinderella and I will both miss Burning Life. Goodbye until next year!

A Change in Plans

I am sorry! I am apologizing because as promised in my last blog, I was supposed to write and post pictures about a fashion show in Second Life during the Burning Life 2009 Festival, however I must retract that promise, as the fashion show failed to measure up to my expectations. When I teleported Cinderella, my avatar, to the fashion show I was expecting to witness a event with unique clothing designed by creators of the avatars wearing them. I was sadly disappointed when I only saw one outfit that I considered unique out of six.

This outfit was the only one that I was fascinated by because if its color, design of the skirt and the avatar's accessories. The rest of the outfits were just plain tops and skirts. I was very disappointed in my first Burning Life event experience, but I was not deterred from attending other events. I went to a dance party and a fireworks show and they were much more impressive, but the event I loved the most was because of its "ridiculous incongruity," as the Second Life event listing describes the event.


Bumper Snails was described perfectly in the event listing as "ridiculous," but was a whole lot of fun. It was the best event I have attended in Second Life since joining. Figuring out how to wear the snail costume was tricky, but the event's specific camp builder, the person in charge of the event, helped me and then I got to have some "snail" fun. Once the arena started to fill up with many avatars, the party really got started and the bumping fights began. I have never been so fiercely competitive and addicted in my life! I was bumping and being bumped for over a hour until the event was over.  I was so sad when the event closed. The event was so unique and the snail costume was so life-like except for the objects on the shell..a treasure chest? I have no idea what the objects were, but it didn't matter because I was so concentrated on bumping the other snails. The snails even left a slime trail behind them. I just had a great time!
I did learn a little bit about Second Life culture that users can come up with some very unique ideas. The Bumper Snails event was just ingenious. Competition was also fierce and I learned that avatars can become rowdy, because they did at this event. Bumping avatars was also allowed for this event only, because usually it is impolite to bump another avatar. Manners were suspended for this event. I loved it! If Burning Life is held again next year, I am definetely going to return to the Bumper Snails event. Hope to see some other new faces there next year!!

"Burning Up" My Life

I once heard a song that went "One is the loneliest number," and this song applies directly to my Second Life experience. So far in my adventures I have been exploring alone. All the sites that I visited have been sparse of people and I haven't spoken to many other avatars either. I want this all to change and that is why I have made the huge decision to attend the Burning Life Festival, beginning this weekend in Second Life. The only problem is, I have no idea what Burning Life is!!

The basics that I know about Burning Life are that there are going to be thousands of avatars attending and this fact makes me a little apprehensive, but I still want to break out of my so-called "comfort zone" and join in the festivities. I am pretty positive that I want to go to the Burning Life Fashion Show. I love shopping and buying clothes and I have never been to a fashion show in real life before, so why not in my virtual life and this one promises to be unique. I have no idea what to expect, but I cannot wait until Saturday at 9pm, when the event begins. I really hope that all goes well because there are other fascinating events that are coming up later in the festival that I also want to attend. The second event that I want to attend is the Temple Burn, but I want to see what my first experience is like before I decide to attend this one. Again, I don't know what Temple Burn is about or what is going to happen, but I am "burning" with desire to find out.

I hope to amass a great deal of information about Second Life and virtual worlds from this event. I want to see the millions of avatars that are out there and that Second Life is not so (using a suitcase word) "creepy," meaning that there are actually nice people in SL and not just stalkers, as some people think. I also want to compare virtual worlds events to real life ones. Do people get as rowdy in virtual world as they do at lets say a football game? What is the etiquette? I am going to find out.

Deciding to go to Burning Life is going to be a unique experience because I am usually a "play it safe" type of person, and going to Burning Life, I wouldn't exactly say is not safe, which it might not be, but it definetely is not going to be boring. I am going to see if I can get a friend's avatar to come with me and maybe that will make me less apprehensive. This event can't begin soon enough and I am bubbling with excitement thinking about it. Burning life begins in a day and a half!

So Many Fascinating Places..So Little Time!

Been anywhere exciting lately? I have!! My avatar, Cinderella Caffarelli, visited the scientific wonder that is Genome Island, explored to the depths of the unconscious, and fell upon the mysterious sandy shores of a beach island in Second Life. Cinderella has never has such an exciting adventure, even compared to her first exploration of Second Life, the second time around was even better!

First stop, Genome Island. I learned about this island from my teacher, when I expressed interest in learning about Second Life's scientific capabilities. I wanted to know how Second Life could enhance a student's understanding of topics such a DNA. There were an abundant amount of resources on Genome Island about DNA that Cinderella could interact with. All I had to do was click a button and all the information would just appear for me to read and try to understand. This would have been a great tool to use when I was in biology class studying DNA. Another biology topic that was enhanced by visiting Second Life was about human cells. I was able to refresh my memory about all the parts of a cell and take quizzes about what I remembered. I even got to stand in a cell!

Doesn't it look cool? Each individual part of the cell possessed the capability of being clicked on so a window with links to information about that part would pop up. I received a weeks worth of in-class biology lessons in a few minutes. There is a mitochondria right by Cinderella's head! I am just astonished that before a few weeks ago I never knew such technology even existed because I am no technology guru. Now, I have virtual cell parts floating by my head.

Next stop, a mysterious beach island that was adjacent to Genome Island, upon which Cinderella happened on in her travels around the scientific island. This island wasn't a landmark that my teacher gave me, but then the greatest discoveries are the ones we don't know about and find on our own. Cinderella was able to ride a jet ski there, a surf board, then she hopped in a pink convertible for a spin around the block.

Cinderella went from exploring about DNA to laying out on the beach getting tan in just a few minutes. There was even a virtual school on this island as well, that I actually got to explore and a thought occurred to me that someday in the future children might be virtually attending school online or in a virtual world such as Second Life.

Finally Cinderella's last stop was a dive into the unconscious as explained by Freud. Cinderella took a tour of the Second Life's representation of Sigmund Freud's theory of the three part psyche. Cinderella and I examined how the Id, Ego and Superego played a part in Sigmund theory and how each worked, like what impulses our Id tells us that our Ego and Superego suppress. I studied about Freud in my psychology classes, but never in this interactive way before. I got to experience first hand about each part of the personality as explained by Freud and even participate in some exercises about each, learning about my brain's impulses and desires that never reach my consciousness. This exploration was my favorite because I am very interested in studying psychology and Second Life can actually aid me in doing so.

So another adventure down, still many more to come. I have not even scratched the surface of all the places that I want to visit in Second Life. Cinderella and I are not sure where we want to go next but I know it will be interesting and educational. Until then...goodbye!! Sweet Dreams.....

Does a Virtual World have any Limitations?

    Do virtual worlds have limitations? It seem unlikely to me because the Sistine Chapel, Mexico, the Globe Theater, rockets, cars, people were all able to be created in Second Life. I have seen limited evidence that any idea a user comes up with could not be created for others avatars to enjoy. Avatars fly, teleport, and can actually speak to one another through microphones, if they are built into the computer. They can make land rise and fall and appear with clicks of a button. What cannot be done?


    Only a few years back, technology such as this did not even exist and now look what me and millions of other people are able to enjoy at our fingertips. Education programs, like mine, have been enhanced because of Second Life's seemingly limitless capabilities. My chemistry teacher wants to learn how to hold virtual labs, after I informed him that it was a possibility. Today, my English teacher asked the class to be bodyguards for a conference that is going to take place in Second Life, where trouble is expected to happen. A fight could break out, just like in real- life! How could technology like this get any more advanced? Are places going to become even more realistic, are they going to pop out of the screen? I don't know and I will have to wait to find out what computer scientists invent next for virtual worlds, but right now it seems unbelievable that anything better could be invented.


    I am highly interested in investigating further the limitations that still hold Second Life back from being the "real- world" on a computer. Do these limitations even exist? If so, what are they and how are they being overcome? After completing extensive research, I could then write a paper, mostly likely a long paper, to present my findings and answer my question. It would be one of the most interesting papers I have even written! When can I start?

Citing the Source: PLAGIARISM ALERT!

             You’re Expelled! These are two words that I never want to hear. In The Transition to College Writing by Keith Hjortshoj, Hjortshoj explains how to properly cite sources to avoid getting caught in the plagiarism trap. I know that only in extreme copyright cases would a student ever get expelled for plagiarism, but any type of plagiarism can land a student in trouble and this trouble is easy to avoid if you cite properly. Citing properly and knowing when exactly to cite has been an issue of mine since high school. I do not know why I find it so hard to distinguish between what needs to be cited and what does not. Not citing properly can earn me a reduce letter grade, to a failing one on my paper and a trip to the Dean's office, which can be avoided.

Hjortshoj has wonderful citation wisdom, which includes, “A citation at the end of a paragraph does not authorize all uses of the source in previous sentences” (145). What Hjortshoj means, is that when students use multiple ideas from a single source, many students, including me, think that it is okay to just use one citation to denote the author at the end of the paragraph. This is NOT correct.  Each sentence needs to be cited properly, and also using just one source to support an argument in a paragraph of a paper is not sufficient evidence most times to prove the point of that section. The point is that multiple sources should be used  to make the argument stronger and then students never have to worry about using a single citation for a lot of evidence. 

As a result, to avoid all these plagiarism pitfalls, I have a tendency to over-cite in my papers, because I am so afraid of being accused of stealing another author’s ideas.  Over-citing can become detrimental to a paper because then it is just a collection of other writer's thoughts and ideas and none of mine, the paper's author.  Teachers want to hear what I have to say and not just already established voices on the subjects and topics. My voice is lost in the paper and Hjortshoj explains this phenomenon in detail. He says:

“Using you voice as the writer to introduce and integrate sources, you must take charge of your writing and responsibility for it, as all students and scholars must.  This kind of writing isn’t just about “what other writers said” but about what you choose to tell us about the subject, including the words and ideas of other authors you choose to include. When you take responsibility for telling your own story about the subject, you gain tremendous freedom to use the work of other writers to help you tell this story well” (150).

            
            I have to overcome this citation problem to exceed now in college. My professor will not be happy if I just reiterate what others have said and not analyze it or support the evidence with my own voice throughout the paper. I can get so determined at proving my point with sufficient evidence that I forget about my own voice on the subject. It will be a difficult challenge for me to overcome!

Teleporting Around Town

Upon entering a new place, a person is always apprehensive about who they are going to meet and what they are going to find there. I felt that same way the moment I teleported to my first location in Second Life, after changing the clothes of my avatar, so I could blend in and look like I belong there. The first place that I visited was Mexico. It was deserted because it was late at night. I explored for a while and took some pictures.

This photo, one of the best I took, was fun to try and center and figure out how to apply the Rule of Thirds. As for the virtual Mexico itself, anyone who visits this place can see some very creative virtual stone statues and architecture. They can also explore a few temples with many steps, so be prepared to climb! I learned that Mexico is a fascinating place that I want to visit someday in real-life to explore the temples. Avatars can truly get a sense of hundreds of years of culture by visiting Mexico in Second Life.

The next place I teleported to was the Globe Theatre. This was a fascinating place and such a real-life looking replica to me. I have only seen pictures of the theater, but those pictures and the virtual world replica seems eerily similar. The picture above shows how theatre was decorated and looked. I also had an uncanny thought while there about how one of Shakespeare's plays might have looked when staged and preformed for the Queen back in the late 1500's. The only thing that visitors should watch out for are signs that say the place is under construction because you can fall through the floor, which happened to me. Any Second Life member can explore this legendary theater of Shakespeare's time, which may interest users who have read his plays or even educators that teach them.

Afterwards, I visited some other areas, but none were as interactive as the last one I visited on my photo tour of Second Life. This place was the International Space Flight museum. It was fascinating that to see that someone had created rockets in Second Life. I was actually able to play and interact with the rockets, something that could never be done in real- life. I do not know if any other visitors would be as impressed as I was, but I really enjoyed studying the rockets. I wish that there were other people around to talk about them with, but I had to explore on my own. I never thought that Second Life could be used to create such learning- based places!

As my first experience of visiting places and teleporting back and forth came to an end, I was upset, but then I realized that I can go back to visit anytime because they are right on my computer! Second Life just is so amazing in this aspect that it can make history, culture and science come alive in such a way to actually make students want to study them. I am really looking forward to my next exploration and more pictures will come soon documenting my visits. I cannot wait! Where will in the world will I go next? Stay tuned...

Seeing Double

        As of last week, I have officially created a double of myself for my English class. No, not a feat that was accomplished by cloning, but in a virtual world, called Second Life. Second Life allows its users to create avatars, the name of the virtual people created, so they can interact and explore all the virtual places. Last Wednesday, I created my very own avatar and named her Cinderella Caffarelli. Afterwards, I then had the probability of own online persona, but it was not “me” yet.


       Upon first creating my avatar, it had no resemblance to me in real life, but Second Life allows the user to manipulate and change about every aspect of the avatar, if they desire. After Cinderella’s creation, it took a few days of manipulating all her changeable aspects to mold her into the best online representation of me. I changed not only her clothes, to ones I liked, but I changed her hair to be long and curly, and customized many other aspects of Cinderella, to resemble me. I gave her all the features I could that I have in real life and then with the press of a button to save my changes, I looked into my own “online” face. I wanted “virtual” me, Cinderella, to look as close to me in real life as possible, because I just wanted to see if it was possible, and though a few aspects are different, we do look alike. I feel strange about having an "almost" twin, but a least I get to control her.


       I picked the name Cinderella for my avatar because I liked it and wanted her name to be creative. Granted, that the name might not be gender-neutral as my teacher desired, but I wanted to be creative. I am going to enjoy “seeing double” of me!

WHAT? There is something called a Writing Process that require a student to write more than one draft?

         Flashback to the olden days….My high school English teacher gives us the assignment to write an essay, a standard five paragraph essay about a topic we had been discussing. It was due a week after it was assigned. When I got home, that night I put the essay off. That was my first BIG mistake. Then, I kept putting the paper off each day until finally the day before arrives and in class that day my teacher reminds us that we have a paper due tomorrow. So that night when I set to work, I have massive writer’s block. Somehow I managed to crank out the paper in mere hours, working late into the night. My second BIG mistake was not really editing the paper. So after I handed the paper in and waited anxiously for the grade to come back, I received a C on the paper. I couldn’t believe it was a C! I was astonished and I shouldn’t have been, because I wrote the paper last minute. There were obvious mistakes in the essay that I caught upon reading it after it had been graded.


        Obviously as my little story above shows, I am a procrastinator and don’t really have a writing process. I truly am a prime example of the coined term a “One-draft wonder” writer. I am now in college and I know that this process of waiting until the last minute and then just vomiting anything onto a paper just to get it done it not only going to guarantee me a C, but maybe even lower. Upon reading, The Transition to College Writing by Keith Hjortshoj, my eyes really opened up to the fact that I have no writing process and that is a habit that needs to be corrected. I am a big offender of generalizations, because I don’t proofread my work and don’t put enough time into organizing and making my point clear throughout my paper. Hjortshoj says “In general, teachers view typical student papers to be comparable to a rough draft that needs further thought, development, revision, end editing” (57). I am am sure many of my teachers had thought this about my work, but I know that I can do better. I have been in many advanced English classes so I know that I wasn’t put there for no reason, just I always tell myself that I will do better on the next essay, but the next time is the same last minute essay. I really do need to follow Hjortshoj advice when he states emphatically “Start to work as early as possible” (74). Even though it seems like a cliché this advice for me is “easier said then done.” I always take the “easy way out” and write one draft.


         I haven’t written my first essay draft as a college student at the University of Richmond, but I know that the one draft approach is not going to allow me to receive the grade I desire. The teacher is going to chastise me for writing just one draft and turning it in because it is an elementary mistake. I have good ideas and now I just need to show that in my writing. I want to make a good impression on my teacher with the first essay I hand in. I don’t want my teacher to think that I am lazy or be disappointed that I could write better. Also, in The Transition to College Writing, Hjortshoj says “Teachers sometimes find even the best writing in the class disappointing and according to their real standards for good writing, teachers may consider average papers to be poorly written” (57). Nobody wants his/her teacher to think that about him/her. I know that multiple drafts of each of my essays has to be accomplished and even then the essay might not be up to the high standards of my professor, but at least I tried. So really the case and point is don’t wait until the last minute to write a paper… If you get a C in a high school English class, then you are in big trouble for college!