Link to Powerpoint Presentation :
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Task 6
As virtual
worlds, such as Second Life, World of Warcraft, and more, become increasingly
prominent in our society, it is important that we understand how these virtual
worlds affect the “real world.” It’s no wonder these virtual worlds have gained
such popularity; in these worlds, users can now look however they want by
building their avatar. Users now have powers they could never have in real life
and, most importantly, the social hierarchy is clearly mapped – in the real
world, you are dealt the cards you are dealt. In these worlds, it is now within
your power to level up, get better weapons, nicer clothes. The worlds are large
enough that no one can remember who you were three weeks ago, a luxury not so
easily afforded at school or work. Any negative implications of virtual worlds
come as a result of blurring the lines between the virtual and the real world.
As pointed out
earlier, social hierarchy is not only mapped out but also tends to contrast
starkly from real life. This can affect a user in two ways, either a growth of
confidence, or a detachment from real world rules and regulations. For many
users, these virtual worlds are a place to feel accepted and be around others
with common interests. For those lacking a safe space or environment where they
feel they can be who they really are without persecution, knowing there are
others out there who will accept them can give them the confidence they may not
be able to find outside of a virtual reality. This isn’t always so apparent since
it is a quiet side effect. What is more obvious is when the user becomes
detached from reality.
This can manifest
itself in many ways. At its least harmful, the user can start to forgo social
rules and cues for those that are set up in their virtual community, leading to
isolation. In more extreme cases, users can start to act out. Isolation can
lead to resentment and frustration with real world contacts. Unfortunately,
this can lead to violence, which is often the only time our society discusses
the real world implications of virtual worlds. Since the positive affects of virtual
worlds tend to be more subtle, it isn’t obvious where the connection is or that
it is even worth discussing. But the truth is, virtual worlds can be very
helpful in establishing a safe space for users to feel included. The positive
effects are not always discussed, but are certainly noteworthy.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Task 5
The Boys and Girls club of Milwaukee would greatly benefit
from the creation of a virtual world. The virtual platform that would be best
served for them would be Second Life. Considering the level of maturity needed
to handle such an endeavor participants in this virtual world must be over 13
years of age. This will provide them with the necessary maturity in order to
learn, grow, and create with the help of a sponsor that will help them get accustomed
to Second Life. Considering the difficulty in becoming sufficient in Second
Life sponsors will need to be competent at teaching young users the basic
around Second Life. This plan will outline why the creation of a virtual team
will help the Boys and Girls Club, what influence that members will have on the
virtual group, and also any considerations that must be in mind regarding the
virtual group. This plan will explain the benefits of this virtual team and how
it will help teens to grow and be part of a virtual group, while helping them
become more effective users of technology.
A virtual team is “a group of
individuals who work across time, space and organizational boundaries with
links strengthened by webs of communication technology.” (Lipnack, 2000 pg.
352) Through the creation of a virtual team it will be possible to foster
creativity and learning in the young people that will be using Second Life. In
theory over time the use of Second Life could connect not only members from the
Milwaukee area, but also from statewide or nationwide members thus allowing
members a chance to learn about their peers from varying areas around the
country. This formation of a virtual group will be helpful as it will be a rich
enough form of media in order to serve the needs of the organization. Being
able to communicate synchronously is an important characteristic of Second Life
and one that will make it possible for someone to teach a new user in the form
of a walkthrough of various functions. Miller describes managers and how they
select media forms based on the task ambiguity, “managers will be more
effective if they choose a communication medium that is a proper match for the
ambiguity of the task at hand.” (Miller, 2015 pg. 240) Thus using Second Life
is very worthwhile for it gives users the freedom and autonomy to create and do
as they please, something that teens strive for.
Members of the virtual group will
have all of the impact on the group, from the new users to the sponsors and
trainers all of the content will be created by the users and thusly create a
new world for users to learn and explore. Channel expansion theory is something
that will take place over time as users become more and more connected with the
technology, “richness perceptions will depend on an individual’s personal experience
with a specific medium.” (Miller, 2015 pg. 241) As more and more time is spent
with the techonology we can theorize that users will become more and more
useful in the techonology and it will provide them with chances to learn new
things about Second Life and to bring new things to the table in the virtual
group. Considering this Second Life is a great platform for the Boys and Girls
club as it will allow for members to continually grow and learn new things
about the medium the more they use it.
Implementing this virtual group or
team will require a few distinct steps, as Beverly Geber has written. The first
step is to create a mission, and for this virtual group the mission is quite
simple. To foster growth in young people, while creating content in Second Life
and allowing youths to learn and become a part of a virtual group and help them
carry over their knowledge and experience in Second Life to other aspects of
their lives. Norms must also be addressed, respectful communication habits,
along with the other norms of the boys and girls club must be adhered too while
inside of the Second Life. Also it will be necessary to create a team leader
that will create and monitor aspects of the virtual group, for example if
conflict does arise the team leader will decide how to move forward and solve
any issues that may arise throughout the use of the virtual team. While
planning the group it is important to select new users carefully as to not open
the group up to any trouble making members. This is a very important aspect of
this plan as its success hinges greatly on the first wave of new members being
able to use and learn the system in order to implement new ideas, creations,
and work.
Using Second Life for the Boys and
Girls Club will require a group of dedicated individuals to teach the first
users, however once those users are proficient in the medium the idea will be
to for older users to help newer users along in order to expand their use of
the medium more and more. While the Boys and Girls Club can still meet in
person this use of a virtual group will allow for members to meet when it may
not be possible to meet face to face and it will let members learn more and
more about other members and to strengthen the group as a whole.
Lipnack,
Jessica., (2000). Virtual Teams: People Working Across Boundaries with Technology.
John Wiley & Sons. p.352
Miller, K. (2015) Organizational
communication: Approaches and processes. Stamford, CT: Cengage.
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