SAUDI ARABIAN UNIVERSITY PROJECT

Recently, I connected up with a Saudi Arabian university that has re-created its campus in Second Life. They want a series of ESL courses taught in Second Life to move absolute beginners up to being able to pass the TOEFL test.

Immediately, I started designing a sky platform above the university for some of the teaching tools I like to use. It’s seen here through an obstacle course I floated above it to check the students’ basic abilities to move about in Second Life.

Here’s a closer view of what all the circles on the platform are. They are spinners that allow me to randomly check basic vocabulary and grammar for various levels of students.

Shortly into the project, I was informed that they wanted my avatar to dress like a modest Arab woman. Voila!

I don’t have to wear the mouth veil, but it certainly makes me look mysterious.

Alternatively, I created a male avatar I can use. Meet Bob. He’s kind of a cross between my husband and my friend Jens.

The Saudis also expressed a wish that I use a more formal classroom for my first lessons. So I started populating it with spinners and slide showson vocabulary and grammar and how to do basic things in Second Life.

I then moved my obstacle course and some holodeck buttons down to the far side of the university’s parking lot.

For those of you who don’t know what a holodeck is, it’s a scene that pops up immediately when you click on items in the holodeck menu. For example, this aquarium . . .

. . . or this farm . . .

. . . or this tomb . . .

. . . or the great outdoors . . .

And speaking of the outdoors, I started exploring Arab-themed sims that the Saudis might feel comfortable visiting on our first forays into Second Life beyond the Saudi campus.

Here’s a desert camp where classes could be held inside and outside of the tents.

Here’s an Arab museum.

I also found this lovely Arab palace.

There were several Arab villages like this one. But where are the people?

No people here.

I thought I might get lucky on finding some people here. But they must have just left.

Then I spied a lovely little market place from this palace’s windows.

Down in the marketplace, I found some animals, like this gorgeous horse.

I even made friends with some of the locals.

To relax, I decided to go swimming.

This was not my best idea. An anxious turtle watched me go in deeper and deeper.

A few more steps and my head will be under water.

The turtle did not approve and brought me back to shore. My hero!

So I thought it might be safer on a raft in a local pool. Quite comfy.

I tried an inner tube too, but my dress got quite wet. : (

Some of the locals made me feel quite small. Ah, okay, this was just a statue.

A few of the real locals wanted me to get in this cannon.

The cannon was a horrible idea. The locals shot me into the air.

I decided no more adventures for me, and as luck would have it, I found a Dunkin Donuts. I went all the way to Saudi Arabia to find a Dunkin Donuts. Small world, huh!