Una’s Blog

| View | Upload your own

After seeing that video about second life and thinking about it some more, i was interested in researching some more of the educational uses of the program. I found this slideshare show that explores using this virtual world for ESL purposes. Its called ESL, Second Life, and Teenagers: Learner Autonomy for the Digital Natives. The British Council have created an island in second life for teaching english. For example, the information center on the island which will provide resources. They claim that the island is a self access center for teenagers, and has no plans for direct teaching. Their sections include: layers of language, vocabulary, language in use, and lexical sets. Slide 29 in particular was interesting.

Ok honestly, for me the whole presentation was a bit fake and idealistic. Saying things like it will be “an attractive place for teens to meet and spend time”. But there were a couple of slides that stood out, and the general idea behind the slideshow was compelling. They were trying to create an space where students can meet and collaborate no matter where they are from. I can see how this would be a useful tool for learning languages in particular.

Presentation From: www.slideshare.net/bcgstanley/second-life-esl-learner-autonomy-for-the-digital-natives

Find more videos like this on Learning and Physical Challenges Education Program Forum

I just read Sean’s post about ‘Second Life’ and virtual living. I first heard about this phenomenon a while ago from a few friends. I found it amazing (and a little odd) that it has reached a point where people actually spend real money on things for their virtual selves.

It is a 3D virtual space that provides “insightful interaction, collaboration, learning, and experimentation” between users. These are all things that have been discussed this semester as desirable for students when using technology in a classroom. However, I agree with Sean, I am not sure if this particular ‘virtual world’ is entirely beneficial to all users, in particular younger students, but i find it interesting that they mention a lot of the benefits that other programs claim to have as well.