Madison Middleverse 2nd life
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The document describes a virtual social space called Middleverse de Español created in Second Life to promote Spanish language acquisition. The project aims to integrate technology and provide an immersive cultural environment aligned with standards for foreign language learning. A pilot program involved third semester Spanish students interacting solely in Spanish within the virtual recreation of a modern section of Santiago, Chile. The goals were to observe student advancement through educational activities and evaluate the potential of the virtual world to expand educational experiences into a social space.
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Madison Middleverse 2nd life
- 1. Middleverse de Español in Second Life a Virtual Social Space for Language Acquisi:on by Maria Alessandra Woolson Spanish& Portuguese Department Middlebury College, VT Presented at 2011 NMC Summer Conference Madison Wisconsin June 15-‐18, 2011 © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 2. “I never teach my pupils; I only a;empt to provide the condi<ons in which they can learn” Albert Einstein © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 3. Goals • ACTFL Na<onal Standards for FL Learning (2000) – Communica<on, Cultures, Connec<ons, Comparisons, Communi<es (the 5 Cs) • MLA (2007) – acquisi<on of translingual and transcultural competence – approach that addresses mul<ple subject areas – proficiency to engage in linguis<c and metalinguis<c exchanges • Middlebury College – language and cultural immersion – integra<on of a mul<-‐disciplinary curriculum in the target language © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
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- 5. The Project • Immersive 3-‐D space • Technology integra<on: browser, images, digitalized text, video, 3-‐D modeling, social networking • Synchronous Chat and voice chat in Real Time • Authen<c linguis<c and cultural sengs • Sensory experiences • Ini<ally resembles a video game, but bears no specific goal • Adop<on of Avatar or human/humanoid virtual figure and virtual iden<ty of customizable appearance • Par<cipants or ‘residents’ can crea<vely model objects and contribute to and conceive the virtual space they will use © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
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- 7. Pedagogical Considera:ons • Pedagogy preceded technological choice and guided spa<al construc<on • Designed in alignment with Standards • Followed extensive use of a variety of technologies through curricular content management system to integrate materials and to further student interac<ons prior to class • Increased interac<ons in target language • Provides a culturally immersive environment • Interrogates how students construct knowledge in a learning environment that is being transformed by digital technology © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
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- 9. Why Use Virtual Worlds? Because: • we face a genera<on that has entered into a passionate rela<onship with digital technology • we are mee<ng par<cipants ‘where they already are’, immersed in an age of informa<on technology • digitalized landscapes may already be impac<ng the way we think about knowledge. • Using technology in educa<on beyond simple consump<on, may poten<ally promote innova<on • Defamiliarizing our ways of knowing is inspira<onal • It forces a reconsidera<on of barriers that frac<on informa<on and of how to re-‐integrate learning © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 10. Middleverse de Español • Input meets ac<ve recipients • Mul<ple sources in Real Time • Virtual iden<ty offers: – par<cipa<on in anonymity – role-‐play opportuni<es – spontaneous social interpersonal communica<ons – Increases self-‐correc<on strategies and nego<a<ons through synchronous conversa<on – Promotes cri<cal thinking and willingness to take linguis<c risks – Promotes repair moves, experimen<ng lexically and transfer of grammar and syntac<c complexity form their first language – Authen<c tasks highlights focus on process over product © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 11. © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 12. Pilot Goals • Observe features of advancement of specific educa<onal units • Evaluate environment poten<al for expanding educa<onal space into social space © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 13. Pilot • Site modeled afer photographic images from moderns sec<on of San<ago Chile due to design universality of urban environments • Cohort included of all sec<ons of 3rd semester Spanish • Students pledged to interact solely in Spanish upon entering the space • Conceived: – FL acquisi<on to serve mul<ple disciplines – Guided ac<vi<es mostly interpersonal – Display of student’s crea<ve and analy<cal work © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
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- 26. Outcomes • Promoted dynamic and authen<c interac<ons • Facilitated collabora<ve work • Encouraged reassessing the manner in which students par<cipate: – from recep<ve to produc<ve – otherwise re<cent to par<cipate face-‐to-‐face • Lowering of affec<ve filters impacted: – immediate interac<ons upon arrival to class – Increased in classroom par<cipa<on – Increased student-‐centered discussions • Helped connect materials to other classes and gathered students from different sec<ons into a community of friends © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 27. Other pedagogical considera<ons immediate to student • Self-‐inquiry into a sense of self and sense of space • Erasure of distance • Power of presence and agency • Expansion of collabora<ve and individual crea<vity • Addi<onal <me for spoken language prac<ce • Choice of synchronous and asynchronous ac<vi<es • Increase social interac<on or allow further isola<on © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 28. Implica<ons to tradi<onal educa<on environments • Distance educa<on • Presenta<ons and discussions • Simula<ons and role-‐play • Mul<media design • Disrupts perceived tradi<onal hierarchy of who teaches and who is taught. • Risk of mechanizing delivery of informa<on © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
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- 30. Poten<al Challenges • Privacy considera<ons • How students construct knowledge through virtual representa<on. • Implica<ons for learning of – drivers that bring the current genera<on to adopt certain technologies over others – “too clean” a design that lacks signs of daily use and is visually “cold”: color, shape, unnatural properness • Students’ percep<on on how they learn vs. how they actually learn • Interference between marke<ng strategies in design and pedagogical scopes © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author
- 31. Thank you © Permission to reproduce if authorship is maintained. All other uses contact author