Purpose

To participate fully in this experiment in museum exhibit development you will have to use Second Life, since that is where the exhibits will be prototyped and displayed.  You will need to join Second Life even if you just want to view the virtual exhibits.  Second Life is a 3D online platform where you can meet with team members and prototype exhibits virtually.  If you have never used Second Life before, it will take you about an hour to get started.  Be patient and give yourself a pat on the back for dipping your foot into an experimental technology.  If you can get through the initial learning curve, the potential for what you can do in Second Life is wide open.

Prerequisities

An hour or so of your time, an Internet connection and a fairly modern computer to install the Second Life software.

Step by step

If you already have a Second Life account, skip to step 5 below.

1. Second Life is software that runs on your computer.  To make sure that your computer can run Second Life, please check out the Technical Requirements here: http://secondlife.com/corporate/sysreqs.php.

2. To create a Second Life account, there are several options depending on your interests:

• For science geeks: go to http://registration.scilands.org.uk/. This is the registration portal for SciLands, a consortium of science-related Second Life locations including The Tech. 
  
• For education geeks: go to http://sl.nmc.org/join/.  This is the registration portal for the New Media Consortium, a collection of educators, universities, and museums.
  
• For people who want an easier user experience: you can download the Onrez viewer, a faster, simpler form of Second Life, by going through a portal created for the show CSI:NY here.
  
• For teenagers: go to http://www.secondlife.com.  This will allow you to join Teen Second Life.
  

3. After registering, you will be directed to download the Second Life viewer from the makers of Second Life, Linden Labs.  This is about a 50 MB download and can take several minutes. 

4. Once you have downloaded the software, connect to Second Life using the avatar name and password you created in step 2.  You will be looking over the shoulder of your avatar in the orientation area.  Use your arrow keys to move from station to station along the orientation path.  The orientation will teach you the basics of moving, camera control, chat, and using objects.  Don’t worry if you don’t get it all—there will be plenty of chances to ask questions and experiment.

5. Teleport to The Tech island.  To do this, click the Map button at the bottom right of your viewer window.  In the search box, type “The Tech” (no quotation marks) and click Search.  You will see The Tech in the map.  Click the Teleport button below to go to The Tech.

6. When you arrive, you will be standing in front of the main entrance to The Tech.  The Tech island is the home base for all Second Life components of The Tech Virtual.  On the island, you can:

• tour exhibits in the virtual Tech Museum
• experiment with building things in the Sandbox Dome
• work on exhibit projects in Parkside Hall
  
• hold meetings in a variety of classrooms and meeting spaces

Further information

And for more in-depth beginner resources in Second Life, check out: http://sleducation.wikispaces.com/gettingstarted