Tomorrow, November 24th 2008, marks the beginning of the week long film festival, Admit One, which brings together audiences in Second Life and Real Life, to experience some promising short films by up and coming film-makers, hungry for their big break. What make this even more interesting is that this is a project of the Mexican university, Universidad Anahuac Cancun (http://www.anahuaccancun.edu.mx), with the films provided by students, and the event itself completely organised by pupils on the Mass Media course there, all under the watchful eye of Mildred Milev, teacher at the university, educating students in uses of technology, and in this case, Secondlife. I managed to get some time with Mildred, not only to talk about the festival, but also to putting SL on the curriculum:

Voodoo Buwan: So, How did the Admit One festival come about?

Mildred Milev: Well, it's the final project of the class I give at the university. The class is about subjects related with Information Era and new technologies so students learn what's new and how to use the new tools online. It's not only about tools, we also bring theories and based on them we develop online strategies. So, this festival is the final test

Voodoo Buwan: Are the films made by the students too?

Mildred Milev: Yes. All the short films are made by students of Mass Media career, obviously developed in other classes.

Voodoo Buwan: And the festival occurs in RL as well as SL?

Mildred Milev: Yes, the whole festival embraces a lot of different skills and knowledge the students have got through this years at the university. It involves 3d building, marketing, publicity, new technologies, movie making theory and making events (public relations). The event then has to be made simultaneously RL and SL to show their skills to manage all that

Voodoo Buwan: So, will the film-makers be coming inworld as well as their work?

Mildred Milev: Well not all are in this class, at least not this semester, so I'm trying to, yes. At the RL event we will have computers projecting inworld event, so, if some of the film-makers don't manage to make their avie, we will give them support in RL to be around in SL.

Voodoo Buwan: So, as well as organising events like this, you generally use SL as a teaching tool on your course?

Mildred Milev: every semester that i give this class, we use SL as a tool.

Voodoo Buwan: And how do the students react to SL when they first experience it?

Mildred Milev: They get excited about it, because its a fun way to get along with all theory stuff.
I believe that if you only learn theories but you never get them into practice, that knowledge is meant to be forgotten and not useful. Some of them also, had never heard about virtual worlds and they are all OMG! Is that possible? Is that real?

Voodoo Buwan: So, as a teacher in new technologies, and someone who studies the cutting edge of media and communication technology, do you feel that SL is being everything it could be, or do you foresee more applications for virtual worlds as we go forward?

Mildred Milev: The wonderful thing about SL is the amount of possibilities you have as a user. It's curious u say that because, most of the new technologies have lots of uses. The gadgets, they are new and get updates all the time, but the thing is that the user is always behind technology. They dont really know its potential and usually, users are buying stuff just because its glam or cool or nice. Technology gives status. So, my point here is that SL is a tool, an amazing one, that also allows the user to do whatever. If SL keeps living or dies depends of the users themselves. If SL goes up or down, its also users. As a new tech tool, virtual worlds must change, quick, every second, but it's on the mix the users give to the tools provided and how much users involves with the technology that will make it grow

Voodoo Buwan: Unless it's Linden Labs? A lot of people keep complaining that their administration curbs inworld freedoms more and more. Do you feel the freedoms given still outweigh the rules in place inworld?

Mildred Milev: Yes, as long as they still let us do our own creations, but is obvious to have limits somewhere. Even here, we are a mirror of RL, and people need rules, its a common cultural thing, human nature

Voodoo Buwan: So, you can see SL being something that is taught, and in fact used to teach, well into the future?

Mildred Milev: Totally, for many disciplines and areas. Last year, there was an event at Trent University (UK) sim and they had a nutrition center, DJ center, etc. Lots of law trials are practiced here inworld. SL gives us, teachers, an alternative, kind of a real laboratory. For example, with this event, students know the local market and know how to do a good job there, but inworld, I, as a teacher, and them, as students, have the opportunity to work on new markets., from UK-Europe and USA-Latin American. International markets are not always handy for university students projects, and also for the film-makers it's nice that not only their family and friends look at their work.

Voodoo Buwan: So, Do you think that in the future there could even be completely inworld universities?

Mildred Milev: Well there are online universities already, and the big difference from a real one is the interaction, which is provided on virtual worlds. The thing here is that the world recognizes and give the credibility for someone that studies inworld. Somehow, real life on those kind of subjects has a lot more weight. So maybe, that will be possible, but I guess if more RL universities dare to have an inworld department that it would be more possible.

Voodoo Buwan: Well, I'd like to wish you all the best with the festival, and your future classes.

Mildred Milev: Thanks a lot, Voodoo, well we will be waiting for you on Monday :)