I explored Vito's Dogland Dog Park and you can interact with various dogs. The dogs sniff and make other sounds and you are able to pet them as well as a polar bear which you're able to hug. There is also an underwater area where you can walk your dog. If you touch a floating ball, your avatar begins swimming. There are a few things here that are a little different from what I experienced in SL. I can see how this could be a therapy for victims of TBI.

RezzMania is a blog dedicated to the builders of Second Life who create amazing virtual structures, clothes, skins, tools, and organizing events and contests. A particular blog post that caught my eye was Vito, the Dogfather: http://rezzmania.com/2009/12/vito-the-dogfather.html Like myself, Vito was a martial artist and dog trainer but unfortunately, he was a victim in a horrific traffic accident and spent 5½ weeks in a coma and ended up with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). One of his forms of rehabilitation was creating a group for victims of TBI in Second Life. Vito now runs a dojo and trains dogs in SL. His SL group is staffed with a real life physician and a rehab therapist acting as consultants for the rest of the group.

Kidz Connect is a program that helps connect young people from different countries and learn about each other's culture thru the process of music, dance, digital art, and storytelling within Teen Second Life. Kidz Connect holds events during the summer and throughout the year wherein collaboration between various schools and organizations in dance, music, theater, and multimedia art are organized. The collaborations culminate in mixed reality performance combining the various live performances and multimedia art with performance interactions in Teen Second Life.

I have always wanted to visit Morocco because of what I've heard of the outdoor markets, mosques, food, beaches, and the culture from friends who have traveled there. This virtual space was actually constructed by students from Johnson & Wales University who had visited and in collaboration with the Moroccan Ministry of Tourism. When I teleported, I arrived in front of a fez booth. I took and wore one that allowed me to obtain information about my virtual surroundings as well as provide tips; it did warn me of monkeys. As I wandered thru the open markets, it was devoid of avatars but there was a gentle roar of a large crowd when walking in a specific area, and some of the stalls were empty with a couple of them with For Sale signs. Many of the stalls were offering garments, rugs, spices, kabobs, and baskets for sale. There were notecards, photo slideshows, and videos available that included tourism information and website links. I took a walk/fly thru stone-lined streets and walkways around the quaint residential buildings situated by ocean front views and I noticed that all the buildings have satellite dishes. This was a detailed little city with soccer fields, orange tree gardens, beach, outdoor café, and a mosque. I noticed two monkeys on a stand and I was expecting something to happen when I clicked them on and sat next to them; nothing happened.

I've been following Kathy Schrock since the mid-1990s when I began using computers in the classroom. I have numerous bookmarks of her helpful websites filled with classroom resources as well as her blogs. She is the technology administrator for the Nauset Public Schools in Massachusetts. An earlier YouTube video has Kathy Schrock aka Kathy Dryburgh (in Second Life), gives a brief overview of what Lighthouse Learning Island is all about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7IC-JeK4Mc&feature=related. In a more recent video, Kathy along with other educators, explain how the Lighthouse Learning Island came to be and what it is currently doing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlwsXsTptbs. The original occupants of the Lighthouse Learning Island was the Nauset Public Schools but since then, several other school districts have joined this virtual learning platform. I was really excited how school districts are utilizing Second Life to offer professional learning development for their educators in Web 2.0 for teaching and learning. Additionally, educators from outside the district have attended these sessions. I'll be looking into how I am able to attend some of these professional development workshop sessions. Unfortunately, on August 1, 2010, Lighthouse Learning Island will be closing due to budget constraints. Kathy has rented a small plot of land on Eduisland 6 (SLURL) and will be announcing any upcoming professional development opportunities through the "K-12 Educators" group in SL. Her new spot is called "Kathy Schrock's Kaffeeklatsch".