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Celebrating the 4th – No NPC Meeting for July 1st

Nonprofit Commons in Second Life will not be hosting a weekly meeting this week, since our usual meeting day of Friday, July 1st, falls at the start of the 4th of July holiday long weekend in the US. 
 
Though we won’t be meeting, let’s celebrate this 4th by enjoying some videos of the amazing people and projects that make up NPC! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBbCCN1eQ2t5Ewfk5OgkMHNnoY8Xx0gAh
 
Also, thank you to everyone who presented last week at SL13B, all those who attend our NPC weekly meetings and other events, and the nonprofit, social-good community of folks who inhabit these virtual spaces. If you would like to share any relevant work, or present on nonprofit technology topic, please reach out via email – joyce@techsoup.org.
 
Happy 4th all!
 
The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 
 

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

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Nonprofit Commons Presenting at #SL13B for June 24th Nonprofit Commons Meeting

This Friday, June 24h, TechSoup’s Nonprofit Commons in Second Life will feature a presentation on the Nonprofit Commons community at this year’s Second Life 13th birthday (#SL13B). The panel will include Buffy Bye (Buffy Beale), Joyce Bettencourt (Rhiannon Chatnoir), Renne Brock Richmond (Zinnia Zauber) and other NPC community members.

 
Join us in Second Life! 
 
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 
Friday, June 24th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 
 
AGENDA (all times below PT) 
8:30 am Introductions
8:40 am TechSoup / Caravan Studios Announcements
8:50 AM teleport to #SL13B presentation auditorium: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SL13B%20Astound/82/151/22
9:00 am Nonprofit Commons Presents at #SL13B
9:50 am Open Mic / Announcements
 
The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 
 

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

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Mental Health Symposium 2016 for June 17th Nonprofit Commons Meeting

This Friday, June 17h, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will iSkye Silverweb presenting on this weekend’s Virtual Ability’s Mental Health Symposium 2016 event, taking place on Saturday, June 18, 2016, at The Sojourner Auditorium on the Virtual Ability Island in Second Life. This year’s theme is “Down But Not Out” which will feature mental health professionals and individuals who are doing incredible work. You will see a broad range of perspectives and approaches to diagnosing and treating mental illnesses, network with others, and gain insights that may give you a new perspective on mental health and the outlook for treatment and quality of life possibilities. 
 
You can view the full agenda and speaker list of this year’s Mental Health Symposium 2016 at http://www.virtualability.org/conferences/mh-symposium/mental-health-symposium-2016/.
 
iSkye Silverweb wears a few hats in the Virtual Ability community: Virtual Ability community events scheduler, Community calendar keeper, Virtual Ability Flickr maven, and a Virtual Ability Mentor. She helps plan the two annual conferences hosted by Virtual Ability: Mental Health Symposium and International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference and is also a member of several mentor groups besides the Virtual Ability Mentors. She enjoys helping new residents get a good start in their Second Life experience. For fun, iSkye does grid hunts, explores art installations, goes shopping, and participates in activities with BURN2and the Lamplighters. 
 
Join us in Second Life! 
 
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 
Friday, Junw 17th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 
 
AGENDA (all times below PT) 
  • 8:30 am Introductions
  • 8:40 am TechSoup / Caravan Studios Announcements
  • 8:50 AM Mentors Central
  • 9:00 am Mental Health Symposium 2016
  • 9:40 am Open Mic / Announcements
 
The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 
 

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

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Using Signature Character Strengths in 3D Games & Simulation for June 10th Nonprofit Commons Meeting

This Friday, June 10th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature Dr. Cynthia Calongne (Lyr Lobo) and Dr. Andrew Stricker (Spinoza Quinnell) with a discussion on understanding signature character strengths, and how those can be used in games and simulations.  Following the discussion, there will be a chance to have an in-depth tour of character strength tools.
 
Dr. Cynthia Calongne, is a professor, author, and researcher with 20 years of experience in developing virtual environments and teaching. For 13 years, she worked as a software engineer and a systems programmer for Air Force Space Command and on Capitol Hill. In 2010, Andy Stricker, Mike McCrocklin, and Cynthia Calongne won the first $25,000 Grand Prize in the Federal Virtual World Challenge for the Mars Expedition Strategy Challenge.
 
Dr. Andrew Stricker serves Air University by helping to design, develop, and implement advanced and emerging learning technologies into Air Force educational and professional military education programs. Prior to his arrival to Air University Andrew served Vanderbilt University as Associate Provost for Innovation Through Technology. He was responsible for working with academic, technology and administrative leaders to prioritize, plan and execute the infusion of educational technologies and enabling innovations for improving learning, teaching and research. Andrew also served 27 years as an Air Force officer and scientist specializing in behavioral sciences and human-factors engineering. His graduate work was conducted at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas and Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
 
Join us in Second Life! 
 
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 
Friday, June 10th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 
http://bit.ly/NPCinSL
 
AGENDA (all times below PT) 
8:30 am Introductions
8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
8:50 am Mentor’s Central
9:00 am Featured Presentation
9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
 
The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup Global, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 
 
http://nonprofitcommons.org

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

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Creative Commons and Fair Use for June 3rd Nonprofit Commons Meeting

This Friday, June 3rd, TechSoup’s Nonprofit Commons in Second Life will feature a discussion on understanding creative commons licensing, and guidelines for content fair use for your nonprofit and educational projects. 



Join us in Second Life! 

Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 

Friday, June 3rd, 8:30 AM PT / SLT

Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 

http://bit.ly/NPCinSL



AGENDA (all times below PT) 

  • 8:30 am Introductions
  • 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
  • 8:50 am Mentor’s Central
  • 9:00 am Featured Presentation
  • 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements



The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup Global, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 



http://nonprofitcommons.org

Share image by Got Credit, licensed CC BY 2.0, available on Flickr.

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

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Open Forum for May 27th NonProfit Commons Meeting

This Friday, May 27th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature an open forum and is a chance to chat on relevant tech, upcoming events, and a roundup happenings and updates on what other NPC community members are working on. We will also revisit some of last week’s conversation on tools for digital storytelling in preparation for the #Storymakers2016 contest deadline.

Has your library or nonprofit organization created video or photo stories? If so, you’ve got until May 31st to enter TechSoup’s Storymakers 2016 digital storytelling contest. You could win up to $5,000 so hurry and enter today! http://ow.ly/VOTa300lVZj

Join us in Second Life! 

Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 

Friday, May 27th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT

Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 

http://bit.ly/NPCinSL

 

AGENDA (all times below PT) 

  • 8:30 am Introductions
  • 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
  • 8:45 am Mentors Central – Tech Updates
  • 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Open Forum 
  • 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements

 

The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup Global, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 

http://nonprofitcommons.org

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

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Tools for Digital Storytelling for May 20th Nonprofit Commons Meeting

This Friday, May 20th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will focus on tools for digital storytelling. Video, photos, and other digital media, can be powerful ways to tell the story of your nonprofit organization or social good project. Join our mentor leader Renne Emiko Brock-Richmond (Zinnia Zauber in SL) and community organizer Joyce Bettencourt (Rhiannon Chatnoir in SL), as they talk storytelling tools. Come ready to share your story and any useful tools you use!
 
Join us in Second Life! 
 
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 
Friday, May 20th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 
http://bit.ly/NPCinSL
 
AGENDA (all times below PT) 
8:30 am Introductions
8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
8:50 am Tools for Digital Storytelling
9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
 
The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup Global, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 
 
http://nonprofitcommons.org
 

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

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Game On – Game Benefits for Nonprofits for May 13th NonProfit Commons Meeting

image by Vivian ViolaThis Friday, May 13th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature Cynthia Calongne (SL: Lyr Lobo) of Colorado Technical University. Join us as we explore the benefits of games and examine a few serious game design examples to stimulate our creativity. Come prepared to share strategies for rapid game design using the skills we learned from childhood to motivate and strengthen our communities.
 
Cynthia Calongne, known as Lyr Lobo, joined Colorado Technical University’s Computer Science Doctoral department in 1996, and prior to it, was a software engineer for 13 years for AF Space Command and for an environmental organization. She has hosted 200+ keynote addresses, research paper presentations, and workshops. Her team won the $25,000 Grand Prize in the Federal Virtual World Challenge for the Mars Expedition Strategy Challenge, a space simulation, and in 2005, she completed an artificial intelligence grant for the National Science Foundation. Her research began in 1995 when she evaluated a user interface paradigm for using virtual environments on a personal computer.
 
Join us in Second Life! 
 
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 
Friday, May 13th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 
 
AGENDA (all times below PT) 
  • 8:30 am Introductions
  • 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
  • 8:45 am Mentors Central 
  • 9:00 am Featured Presentation: Game On – Game Benefits for Nonprofits 
  • 9:50 am Open Mic / Announcements
 
The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup Global, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 
 
 

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

Posted on

Open Forum for May 6th NonProfit Commons Meeting

This Friday, May 6th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature an open forum and is a chance to chat on relevant tech, upcoming events, and a roundup happenings and updates on what other NPC community members are working on.

 

Join us in Second Life! 

Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 

Friday, May 6th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT

Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 

http://bit.ly/NPCinSL

 

AGENDA (all times below PT) 

  • 8:30 am Introductions
  • 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
  • 8:45 am Mentors Central 
  • 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Open Forum 
  • 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements

 

The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup Global, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 

http://nonprofitcommons.org

 

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir

Posted on

Game Development: Knowing Your Audience for April 29th NonProfit Commons Meeting

This Friday, April 29th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature David Fliesen (SL: Joey Aboma) presenting on knowing your user when developing games. Knowing your game audience will help understand how to best reach “the player” by better understanding WHO they are and WHAT motivates them to play. This session will explore Jesse Schell’s Art of Game Design, and include opportunities for learning your own player type, the taxonomy of game pleasures, personality types, and explore everything from psychographics to demographics and geographics to better know the players of games.
David Fliesen (SL: Joey Aboma/OpenSim: Sun Tzu) is a 3D Content Developer at AvaCon, where he also helps as a community manager for the Free Virtual Land for Social Good Organizations (https://www.avacon.org/blog/events/free-virtual-land-for-social-good-organizations/). He graduated last month with a BFA in media arts & animation from the Art Institute of Virginia Beach and has a broad range of virtual worlds and serious gaming experience — developing courses for Rasmussen College in Engineering Virtual Worlds and the MEDATAR serious medical game proof of concept for the U.S. Air Force’s Surgeon General. 
 
This week will also feature a Mentor Central presentation Power of Surprise on the importance of creative thinking and serendipity, by Lynne Berrett (Lissena Wisdomseeker) of http://agelessmindproject.org.
 
Join us in Second Life! 
 
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting 
Friday, April 29th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater 
 
AGENDA (all times below PT) 
  • 8:30 am Introductions
  • 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
  • 8:45 am Mentors Central – Power of Surprise
  • 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Game Development: Knowing Your Audience 
  • 9:50 am Open Mic / Announcements
 
The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is a program sponsored by Caravan Studios – http://caravanstudios.org, a division of TechSoup, http://techsoup.org. The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions. 
 
Image by rikaru  AttributionNoncommercialShare Alike

Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir