ARE 494 Digital Ethnography

1. Teaching in The
Arc:
Living in Second Life
Carla Y. Mora
ARE 484
Dr. Stokrocki
Spring 2017

2. Ethnography vs Digital Ethnography
Ethnography:
“Traditional ethnographers immerse themselves into
cultures in order to understand ways of living
(Stokrocki, 1997) and include a systemic investigation
of the quality, type, or components of a group,
substance, or event and its expansion of group
examination of the same phenomenon (The
Qualitative Report, 2010).”
Article:
Art Education Qualitative Research in Cyberspace
By Mary Stokrocki
Digital Ethnography:
“Digital ethnography incorporates new technologies in
the study of online films, platforms, digital games,
blogs, and virtual worlds, to name a few. Possibilities
are endless and include the basic inductive stages of
data collection, content analysis, and comparative
analysis.”
Article:
Art Education Qualitative Research in Cyberspace
By Mary Stokrocki

3. The Three Stages:
– Stage 1: Date Collection:
It was very easy to store information collected while in second life as it was all a
simple click away and storing it via email for later review and reflection.
– Stage 2: Content Analysis:
One way everyone on Second Life can get new and collect this information or
any information they are looking for is by collecting cards that you find or that
others can give you.
– Stage 3: Comparative Analysis:
Using comparative analysis we are able to gather all our information and
compare and contrast different ideas and not just our own. We can use these
comparison to solve problems we might be facing and come to an agreement
via the results.
Reference:
Art Education Qualitative Research in Cyberspace
By Mary Stokrocki

4. Research and Question:
1. Why do you use Second Life to make and share digital artwork
over other alternatives?
2. How did you come up with the idea for this Installation?
3. How did you create it? Did you work alone or did the students
have a bigger hand in making it?
4. Have other schools used this program or a similar program like
this with there students that you know of?
5. Will there be other students taking part in building?
6. WHY?
7. Are you able to have shows or gallery openings here as well?
8. What resources would you recommend a teacher look at or
read before starting a lesson for her students on Second Life?

5. Interview via Second Life:
Marylou Goldrosen
1. I first began on Second Life with a graduate student who invited me
and I love it because of international people that I continue to meet
who inspire me.
2. I have been working with local kids in the Apache Junction schools and
our loacl desert environment, Whn I thought of the pun --Wizard and
Lizard. THe Wizard of Oz ia my fav story.
3. I asked students to make masks in real life that was a pun on their
favorite characters and write 3 lines on the character
4. Not yet. I partner with the University of British Columbia on their site
on the Open SIm/
They own the site.
5. The site is called ASU Hive. In 4 days 2 hours each day, we will be
making 3-D animals using “sculptie” Build tool. This tool makes forms
more organic. We will use the new theme of Lizard of ARS.
6. No
7. I love the art here-- I plan my artwirks here and upload them
8. Yes --lots and last week I gave a peper here at a conference
9. My Art Ark. My home page has some.

6. Gardens by the Bay:
– Description and Context:
– The place I visited during my many travels
throughout Second Life was this place, Gardens by
the Bay. I was very curious as to what this place
was and that was how I ended up in this cozy artsy
little place. The place had these amazing looking
what I would assume were trees. The tree
installations were all over this place that I could
easily view them from all over the place but it was
best to view when flying up in air. While on the
ground there were many different places to walk
through and little whimsical places as well, a
house built to look like a tea house with a shy little
woodland creature poking it’s head out of the
window.

7. Avatar: Marylou Goldrosen (Mary
Stokrocki)
– The avatar I interviewed was Marylou Goldrosen, who in
the real world is known to many of us as Dr. Stokrocki.
When meeting up at the Art Ark for the interview
Marylou was very nice and helpful at helping me
navigate my way around her installation known as The
Lizard of ARS/ART. She told me the story of how she
came up with the idea behind the story as well as all the
puns involved in the artwork.
– In the real world Marylou teaches this course to
younger students who go into Second Life and work on
stories such as the one about the Wizard and how they
make all the art that goes along with this story.
– Not only did this installation have the story art on the
side but if we flew up to the top of this building she had
other works made by present and past students. Which
fun fact, she told me she ran into this program after an
old student of her had mentioned this to her and bam!
Just like that she was hooked into Second Life.

8. The Conversation:
[19:47] CYBlue: How did you discover Second Life?
[19:47] Marylou Goldrosen: 1. Why do you use Second Life to make and share digital artwork over other alternatives? I
first began on Second Life with a graduate student who invited me and I love it because of international people that I
continue to meet who inspire me.
[19:50] Marylou Goldrosen: This Installation is about the Lizard of ARS -- a desert parody of Wizard of OZ
[19:50] Marylou Goldrosen: Click on the head ans get a copy of the play
[19:50] CYBlue: How did you come up with the idea for this Installation?
[19:52] Marylou Goldrosen: I have been working with local kids in the Apache Junction schools and our loacl desert
environment, Whn I thought of the pun --Wizard and Lizard. THe Wizard of Oz ia my fav story.
[19:52] Marylou Goldrosen: Ho did I make it?
[19:53] CYBlue: How did you create it? Did you work alone or did the students have a bigger hand in making it?
[19:53] Marylou Goldrosen: I asked students to make masks in real life that was a pun on their favorite characters and
write 3 lines on the character
[19:54] Marylou Goldrosen: Click on the masks and get a copy of their part in the play
[19:54] CYBlue: How do you think something like Second LIfe would improve our classrooms by bringing this program to
schools?
[19:55] Marylou Goldrosen: If you hit on the tail --you can get directions on how to make a mask
[19:56] Marylou Goldrosen: Click on the Prickley Pear below and get a copy of art definitions because Lizard of ARS is the
Lizard of ART --Latin for ART
[19:56] LIZARD OF ARS/ART -: Touched.
[19:56] LIZARD OF ARS/ART - owned by Marylou Goldrosen gave you 'LIZARDS of ARS PLAY' ( Teaching 10 (72,232,41) ).
[19:57] Marylou Goldrosen: I will be working with local kids in 2 weeks. They will do this project on another virtual world --
Open SIm
[19:57] Giantic Lizard Tale owned by Marylou Goldrosen gave you 'Directions to Make your Own Mask' ( Teaching 10
(75,241,29) ).
[19:58] Marylou Goldrosen: I have an example of my early work with them on Blackboard -- SIMPLER PPT PROJECT
[19:58] Marylou Goldrosen: Now I need a new TAIL/TALE because I keep on losing mine/
[19:59] CYBlue: Have other schools used this program or a similar program like this with there students that you know of?
[19:59] Marylou Goldrosen: Not yet. I partner with the University of British Columbia on their site on the Open SIm/
[20:00] Marylou Goldrosen: They own the site.
[20:00] Marylou Goldrosen: I met that Professor in Taiwan.
[20:01] Marylou Goldrosen: You know she met herr husband on Second LIfe
[20:02] Marylou Goldrosen: . The site is called ASU Hive. In 4 days 2 hours each day, we will be making 3-D animals using
“sculptie” Build tool. This tool makes forms more organic. We will use the new theme of Lizard of ARS.
[20:02] Marylou Goldrosen: Did you see the sculptie forms that we made in our class? in the sky here?
[20:03] CYBlue: Will there be other students taking part in building?
[20:03] CYBlue: Yes I did see those today, I looked around before going and creating a few objects on my own.
[20:03] Marylou Goldrosen: No -- Do you want to fly up here to see our class sculptures?
[20:04] CYBlue: It was a very difficult process.
[20:04] CYBlue: yes let's see
[20:04] Marylou Goldrosen: Not really
– [20:07] Marylou Goldrosen: Where are you ? Which sculpture do you like the best? Why?
[20:07] CYBlue: Do you think that the best way to learn how to build objects like these would be to come on second life or to
look up videos on how to build?
[20:08] CYBlue: I really like the Lady Gaga sculpture
[20:08] Marylou Goldrosen: Come on this side too
[20:09] Marylou Goldrosen: They all have some transparency
[20:09] CYBlue: However, that bear would have to be one of my favorites as well. I tried building one too
[20:09] Marylou Goldrosen: Oh great! Why do you like it as best?
[20:10] CYBlue: There are so many layers it seems
[20:10] CYBlue: and the texture is really great
[20:10] Marylou Goldrosen: Take a screenshot of me and me --show that you are interviewing me
[20:10] CYBlue: I tired adding textures and couldn't find the right one
[20:21] Marylou Goldrosen: Good -- Do the art criticism of one --describe, analyze, interpret, just, add the link address
[20:21] CYBlue: I found a toga in Rome, I might have to wear that to our last meeting
[20:21] Marylou Goldrosen: Fun!!!
[20:22] Marylou Goldrosen: You can communicate via gesture too. Look at our top menu
[20:22] CYBlue: Yes, I will do that tonight and upload that, I think I have everything else completed as well. Now with this
interview, I just need to do the powerpoint to go with it
[20:22] Marylou Goldrosen: The Powerpoint examples are on Blackboard
[20:23] Marylou Goldrosen: Do the parts ---
[20:24] Marylou Goldrosen: Then you can upload it to Slideshare Ok?
[20:24] CYBlue: Excellent!
[20:27] Marylou Goldrosen: WHY? I love the art here-- I plan my artwirks here and upload them
[20:27] Marylou Goldrosen: We meet avatar people from around the world
[20:28] Marylou Goldrosen: Our last class --you will meet 2 avatae friends
[20:28] CYBlue: Are you able to have shows or gallery openings here as well?
[20:28] Marylou Goldrosen: Yes --lots and last week I gave a peper here at a conference
[20:30] Marylou Goldrosen: Do you have other questions too?
[20:30] CYBlue: Is there a place where people can go and visit all your artwork? Another world?
[20:32] CYBlue: Final question: What resources would you recommend a teacher look at or read before starting a lesson for her
students on Second Life?
[20:32] Marylou Goldrosen: My Art Ark. My home page has some,
[20:33] Marylou Goldrosen: If you search Second Life art lesson, you will be surprised.

9. Avatar:
Marylou Goldrosen
What is Art? She creates installation like art in Second life, some of her
own work and there is some she works on with students.
Most of it can be found on the Art Ark in second life.
What is title -favorite artwork? Why choose? The Lizard of ARS/ART: it was something very unique. To be
able to work and come up with something as clever and
fun to read and look at is admire able.
Why make it? There was this piece on the Art Ark above the Lizard of ARS
in second life that was an image of a bear it seemed. Yet
this bear had been build in second life with the use of the
builder tools, I had just come from making something in
the building area and the fact that I knew how hard this
was to make made me admire it that much more.
How made? It was made in the digital world as well as the real world
and put together as one.
Where from? The bear came from the floating building in the Art Ark.
Expression:
Color, line, etc.?
There is some much color and expression going on in the
whole people, there are many pieces that work together
as one.
Collaborate with whom? She has collaborated with a few people on gathering

10. Comparative Analysis and
Conclusion
Much of what was said during my interview and what I
learned from just experiencing the world of Second Life
has really changed my opinion from day one of login in
today. I could not understand why someone would sell or
make are for this computer program. What was in
incentive? It makes sense now, it is the exact same thing as
making art in the real world, except that in this case you
get to go to much more and many more places that you
would not normally or might not ever get to see and visit
in the real world. It is a free passport to the world around
you without having to leave the comfort of your home.
I love how as a future art teacher if I were to want my
students to see the museum in which a certain painting is
located they can go online to second life or even better we
can all login together and take a tour of a museum without
needing to get any field trip forms and still get to be in and
see a place these kids might not normally get to see.

11. Final Thoughts
– I have always considered myself a bit of a
purest, that art is the traditional
mediums. However, to think like that
would be to deny my future students
areas that they might want to explore
such as second life. The newer
generations are so computer savvy that it
seems foolish not to include something
like second life in an art program for older
students to father explore different art
outlets.

12. References:
Art Education Qualitative Research in
Cyberspace
By Mary Stokrocki
Published in Miraga, C., & Smilan, C.
(In Press). Inquiry in Action:
Paradigms, Methodologies and
Perspectives in Art Education
Research. Reston, VA: NAEA