Second Life as a Social Learning Environment A SLanguages 2009 Presentation

1. Second Life
Social Learning
Environment

2. Overview
• Introduction
• Experiences of a Language Learner
– Pierre Moussy
• Lessons Learned for SL Educators
– Howard Vickers

3. Social Experiences
• 4 types of experiences in virtual worlds
– Gaming
– Building
– Immersive
– Social

4. Social Places
• Meeting strangers
– Conversation practice
– Specific meetings and events
• Group meetings
– Colleagues
– Friends
– Class meetings

5. Pierre’s Comments
• Virtual worlds are engaging
– Too engaging?
• Virtual worlds are real
– So real that learners are self conscious
• Language use is real
– Speech / texting can be fast and
complicated

6. Pierre’s Comments
• Conversation practice is not motivating
– Conversations are often less engaging than
the virtual world itself
• Text is big in Second Life
– Voice is often used – but text often used first

7. Observations from Comments
• Psychological barriers to speaking
– Solutions needed to overcome them
• Lower levels find it more difficult
– Approaches needed to assist lower levels
(A1 – B1)
– Especially relevant for languages other than
English

8. Observations from Comments
• Tasks / specific activities may help
– Guiding students with social interaction
• Text is steppingstone
– Start using text, move on to voice

9. Types of Specific Activities
• Interviews
– Find interviewees in themed islands
• Tasks
– Visit shops and offices
• Events
– Tutorials, meetings & SLanguages!

10. A Different Communication?
• Second Life communication is different
– Texting is general
– Voice is more specific
• Quality
– Less background noise
– Lower quality (bandwidth?)
• Asynchronous nature
– Use dictionaries mid conversation

11. Role of Teachers
• Focus on low tech approach
– Dogme methods
– Task based learning methods
• Student at centre
– Guide on the side

12. Conclusions
• Second Life for social learning
– Conversation practice
– Discussions and interviews
• Student experience
– Challenging but engaging
– General conversation practice less motivating
• Guidance for effectiveness and motivation
– Tasks / specific activities

13. Learn more…
Further information on using 3D virtual
worlds for language education
available on our website…
www.avatarlanguages.com/howweteach.php

14. Online Language School
• One-to-one language classes
– Spanish
– English
– Other languages
www.avatarlanguages.com

15. Second Life
Social Learning
Environment

16. SLanguages 2009
This presentation was given at
SLanguages 2009
The Conference for Language
Education in Virtual Worlds
slanguages.net