Comfort Zones

[Janene Gorham]

Last night we held a VSTE meeting in Second Life. I was concentrating on presenting so can't verify myself but I am told there was a good crowd. At the meeting, Karen Richardson, Kay Lera, and I shared information about VSTE and our initiatives.

The meeting was very similar to what we did at the conference a couple of weeks ago...except that this time I was way out of my comfort zone. My avatar will celebrate her 2 yr birthday this summer but I still feel very, very inexperienced. I can't control my avatar's movements- is it just me that can't walk straight or stop without walking into walls? I struggle with turning my mic on or off. My avatar, who has beautiful hair, swings her head around so much that it distracts even me. Despite the fact that I barely can walk, in the course of prepping for this presentation, I learned a bunch of new skills. I didn't relax until it was over. And if you were there, you will also notice that I didn't move the whole time. My SL friends provided me with a seat so that I wouldn't accidentally move and lose my carefully selected position on the stage that enabled me to see the laptop and the screen. When it was over, I stood up and a minute or so later realized that I had somehow ended up sitting on the floor.

While I am glad to enhance my shaky SL skills, for me the value in the experience was enduring what many teachers face every time they try something new in technology. I was nervous and didn't want to look foolish in front of an audience, and there were times when my SL friends were helping me that they used terminology that was completely unfamiliar to me.

But after it was all said and done, I admit that I really enjoyed the experience and not just because I like to talk about VSTE. It was a bit of a thrill pushing myself to try something new and venture out of my comfort zone. The reason it was thrilling and not a disaster was that I had a lot of support. Our SL team spent a lot of time addressing each of my insecurities and helping me have a successful experience.

I think especially for those of us who are in the role of supporting others' efforts to use technology, that it is good to push ourselves to try new experiences if only to be reminded of what it is like to be out of our comfort zone...and if you haven't tried SL, come join us! I will be the one with nice hair sitting or standing in some inappropriate place.

[Katie Neville (SL: Katie Indigo)]

Sitting on the floor isn't too bad. I ended up sitting in someone's lap.

[Fara Faust]

There was a good crowd in the auditorium. I couldn't have done it. I'm doing good to teleport somewhere, find an seat and stay there. :-) The more I'm in SL the better I get at moving around. There is so much that is good and informational and fun in SL that I just don't want to miss out on things. I'm always disappointed when I miss out on seeing a good speaker or presentation in SL. I'm glad I was there to attend the first annual VSTE in SL meeting. You did a great job.

[Kim / Thunder]

Janene, this shows how most people feel while learning to navigate in SL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkgNn50k14

[Sharon Darling]

You did a wonderful job with your presentation. You don't have near a many issues as the guy flying upside down with balloons :)

[Janene Gorham]

I am glad you didn't blame my hair for my issues.

[Al Doss]

I think the number one reason you have problems in Second Life is your computer. I simply cannot put into words the difference a new computer will make in your ability to move and feel comfortable in that virtual world.
It is admirable that you continue to push your comfort zone. Not everyone takes that as a good thing.
Maybe next time you will try the PopCorn move!

:-)