Elena, I teach English and Psychology on line. One of the reasons I prefer to teach online is that I am basically a writing teacher and an art therapist whose primary arts are reading and writing. Students are much more self-disclosing in online forums that they are in a live class. I am fascinated by the possibilities of Second Life because I see the avatars as a move toward embodiment which allows the Virtual Learning Environment to model RL interactions closely enough to allow for an easy transfer of skills from the VLE to RL. The VLE becomes a rehearsal space where the learner can safely experiment with new voices, new personas and new ways of being in a world with others that can migrate to RL if they prove satisfying. The possibilities for a class in journal writing for personal growth are vast. What you are pointing out, I think, is that people spontaneously use virtual social spaces to express aspects of self that would not be readily disclosed in RL. The result can be significant personal growth if the learner finds a space where these self-disclosures are validated by a larger community. I think this is even truer in a VLE that is specifically designed to encourage self-disclosure and a witnessing of this sharing by others which validates the learner who has chosen to share. Please pass along anything you find on this subject. T. Michael --- Elena Adkins <elena.adkins@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

I am working on a research project with a focus on how people use MySpace (or other similar sites) for personal "diary"-type writing. I am wondering why individuals feel compelled to post very personal details about their lives, the purpose it serves for them, and the importance of the interactive nature of these sites. I want to know what it is about these sites that make it seemingly easier to share personal information, both on the site and in general. If anyone knows of any texts that could help me out with my research, I would greatly appreciate it. --Elena Adkins _______________________________________________ The air-l@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

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