Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Community of Practice of Interest
The community of practice that I will practice in is a group of Christians in SL. In the area there is a church that has weekly service and various other buildings and areas that are used for group meetings like bible studies and that kind of thing. I am curious how a group can worship in this kind of environment and how it may differ from a real life church.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Permission for the Land Owner
This is my conversation with the land owner, who I am going to call Smith, where I wish to practice my research.
[10:25] Lando Dragonash: hey do you have a second?
[10:25] Smith: Hello. :o) What's up?
[10:27] Lando Dragonash: hello I have a question to run by you. I am a student at Bradley University doing a field research class and I was hoping that I could get permission to practice some research here.
[10:27] Smith: Are you the one I spoke with on the phone Wednesday?
[10:28] Lando Dragonash: No it was not.
[10:28] Lando Dragonash: I IMed you but you were not online at the time.
[10:28] Smith: Ah, okay. What type of research would you like to do?
[10:29] Lando Dragonash: I have a notecard here at kinda explans some of it.
[10:29] Lando Dragonash: I am just curious how people worship in sl.
[10:32] Smith: Our service begins in about half an hour. You're more than welcome to stay.
[10:32] Lando Dragonash: so I do have permission to do research here?
[10:33] Smith: If you're just taking notes, certainly. Was there something else you had in mind?
[10:34] Lando Dragonash: I may have questions at a later date but currently no.
Unfortunately my computer crashed right before I could give him my notecard and attend the service. I later emailed him with the notecard as well as thanking him for the permission and help. He replied by saying:
Jonathan,
Thanks for the explanation of what you're doing. Feel free to observe in the manner you have described. You also have permission to use my name (real or SL) without modification.
Thanks,
Smith
[10:25] Lando Dragonash: hey do you have a second?
[10:25] Smith: Hello. :o) What's up?
[10:27] Lando Dragonash: hello I have a question to run by you. I am a student at Bradley University doing a field research class and I was hoping that I could get permission to practice some research here.
[10:27] Smith: Are you the one I spoke with on the phone Wednesday?
[10:28] Lando Dragonash: No it was not.
[10:28] Lando Dragonash: I IMed you but you were not online at the time.
[10:28] Smith: Ah, okay. What type of research would you like to do?
[10:29] Lando Dragonash: I have a notecard here at kinda explans some of it.
[10:29] Lando Dragonash: I am just curious how people worship in sl.
[10:32] Smith: Our service begins in about half an hour. You're more than welcome to stay.
[10:32] Lando Dragonash: so I do have permission to do research here?
[10:33] Smith: If you're just taking notes, certainly. Was there something else you had in mind?
[10:34] Lando Dragonash: I may have questions at a later date but currently no.
Unfortunately my computer crashed right before I could give him my notecard and attend the service. I later emailed him with the notecard as well as thanking him for the permission and help. He replied by saying:
Jonathan,
Thanks for the explanation of what you're doing. Feel free to observe in the manner you have described. You also have permission to use my name (real or SL) without modification.
Thanks,
Smith
Permission Notecard
This is the notecard that will be given to anybody i wish to get information from.
My name is Jonathan McKittrick/ Lando Dragonash.I am an undergraduate student enrolled in an introduction to research methods class (Multimedia 333:Introcution to Field Research In Virtual Worlds) at Bradley University in Peoria Il, USA, that is being conducted in Second Life fall term, 2007.
We are learning to do field research/ethnography and will not complete projects this term. But next semester, if we decide to do a project, our projects feature observation of a “community of practice,” that is, a group of people doing similar things in a cultural setting. I am observing this area at this time as I consider what work I might do next term.
My observations are merely descriptive: I’ll take notes about what I see and I may summarize those notes in my paper, in class presentations to my classmates, or on my web-blog about this research. The blog is found at:
I will not record or publish either the SL or RL name of any avatar/person. Any observations about avatars or recording of their talk transcripts would take place only after having obtained the explicit permission of that avatar/person and would only happen after the name of the avatar had been changed via secret coding scheme. I will ask you if I can have your permission to observe you in general. Any pictures taken in SL, that serve as explanatory data and which might include avatars, will be modified so that avatar names and identifying characteristics are blurred/blocked.
We will also interview informants about the communities of practice that we are studying. These conversations are, again, voluntary and only with the informed permission of the avatar/person/informant. I may copy out the chat transcript from our conversations/interviews. When we do, we will change/code your name so that there is no recorded connection between you/your avatar and the data. You may choose to withdraw at any time without penalty by simply telling me you wish to stop.
You may follow the progress of all of the studies in the class, including this one at: <http://slane.bradley.edu/com/faculty/lamoureux/website2/333/bloglinks333_07.html>. Presentation of the findings from the study serve as our gift to the communities of practice who share time and knowledge with us; perhaps our perspectives will help residents to more fully understand and appreciate their activities.
If you have questions regarding the study, you can contact me, in world or out of world via email at <jmckittrick@bradley.edu>, or my teacher, Professor Beliveau in world or out of world as Ed Lamoureux at ell@bradley.edu, 309-677-2378.
Do you read English clearly enough to understand this form and to respond?Do you have any questions?May I observe your behavior in this setting and make notes about it?May I transcribe of copy of our interview for use in class presentations and published to the blog after removing your identity.?Thank you for your time and consideration of my requests.
Agree to the informed consent in general?
My name is Jonathan McKittrick/ Lando Dragonash.I am an undergraduate student enrolled in an introduction to research methods class (Multimedia 333:Introcution to Field Research In Virtual Worlds) at Bradley University in Peoria Il, USA, that is being conducted in Second Life fall term, 2007.
We are learning to do field research/ethnography and will not complete projects this term. But next semester, if we decide to do a project, our projects feature observation of a “community of practice,” that is, a group of people doing similar things in a cultural setting. I am observing this area at this time as I consider what work I might do next term.
My observations are merely descriptive: I’ll take notes about what I see and I may summarize those notes in my paper, in class presentations to my classmates, or on my web-blog about this research. The blog is found at:
I will not record or publish either the SL or RL name of any avatar/person. Any observations about avatars or recording of their talk transcripts would take place only after having obtained the explicit permission of that avatar/person and would only happen after the name of the avatar had been changed via secret coding scheme. I will ask you if I can have your permission to observe you in general. Any pictures taken in SL, that serve as explanatory data and which might include avatars, will be modified so that avatar names and identifying characteristics are blurred/blocked.
We will also interview informants about the communities of practice that we are studying. These conversations are, again, voluntary and only with the informed permission of the avatar/person/informant. I may copy out the chat transcript from our conversations/interviews. When we do, we will change/code your name so that there is no recorded connection between you/your avatar and the data. You may choose to withdraw at any time without penalty by simply telling me you wish to stop.
You may follow the progress of all of the studies in the class, including this one at: <http://slane.bradley.edu/com/faculty/lamoureux/website2/333/bloglinks333_07.html>. Presentation of the findings from the study serve as our gift to the communities of practice who share time and knowledge with us; perhaps our perspectives will help residents to more fully understand and appreciate their activities.
If you have questions regarding the study, you can contact me, in world or out of world via email at <jmckittrick@bradley.edu>, or my teacher, Professor Beliveau in world or out of world as Ed Lamoureux at ell@bradley.edu, 309-677-2378.
Do you read English clearly enough to understand this form and to respond?Do you have any questions?May I observe your behavior in this setting and make notes about it?May I transcribe of copy of our interview for use in class presentations and published to the blog after removing your identity.?Thank you for your time and consideration of my requests.
Agree to the informed consent in general?
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