DDS,These
3D graphical agents enhance the sense of immersion experienced by players,
supporting communication, social interaction, role- play and the process of
community formation between users( Peterson, 2006).
This argument with words like immersion and 3D brings us back to the idea of bodily presence. While the bodily presence is perceived as an obstacle(Dwight, 2004), according to Peterson this three dimensional feature enriches language learning.
This argument with words like immersion and 3D brings us back to the idea of bodily presence. While the bodily presence is perceived as an obstacle(Dwight, 2004), according to Peterson this three dimensional feature enriches language learning.
These are two
contracting points of views, and a suggested answer might be that web based
games are the in between alternative for
face to face and distance
learning. This solution is diverse, evolving, fantasy based and just rich with
possibilities. The use of such games can be used in two different ways.
1- How to make the most of web based games on top of face to face interactions:
Physical interaction can take another level by
seeing things from the other gender point of view
(Bruckman, 1993).
Limitless Role play
can be introduced. While classroom is dominated by reality, Gaming allows for
students to do things such as design their own appearance all the way
to create their personal island.
Many schools are now
offering ideas to use games in learning in some amazing ways.
This article"Second Life 'island' Created for Virtual Teaching" clearly illustrates some of the advantages in the following statement:
This article"Second Life 'island' Created for Virtual Teaching" clearly illustrates some of the advantages in the following statement:
For
example, architecture students can build a virtual house instead of simply
designing one on paper. Clothing design students can hold a virtual fashion
show. Business students can start a company and see how it does without risking
startup capital. And other students can see the impact of a tsunami or hurricane
coming ashore.
I
personally would encourage students use this platforms to act, cook, travel,
make friends and practice all other topics covered in text books.
 |
| A sushi restaurant in Second Life |
As
the picture above can explain, students can go to a sushi restaurant as an
example. This would be more interesting if there is no such place where they
live. There, they can learn all the language needed to order in a restaurant,
learn about Japanese food and interact with others in a fun way.
"By teaching in Second Life, you're able to give your
students an experience that might be too expensive or dangerous in the real
world," said Paula Christopher in the article mentioned above,
a technology project manager at Georgia State.
How
to successfully and purposefully implement virtual games in distance learning
where bodily presence is not an option:
Those who study
without being all gathered in a single classroom nonetheless those who are all
the world may find this a lot more interesting!
They
can create an avatar that resembles them and get to know each other through
play and meaningful language exchange adventures.
 | |
A German Class Offered in Second Life
This
picture above shows a very traditional presence in language classroom-
especially with the sleeping student in the back- yet, this is presented in a
new 3D reality.
A
virtual world provides an experience set within a technological environment
that gives the user a strong sense of being there(Warburton, 2009)
This sounds like
exactly what they need sense many individuals like that such games make them
part of a community. As Warburton says, stuff like physical movement and body
language mimics face to face situations and in this case may be an interesting
alternative to that.
Warburton mentions
"some degree of cooperative workflow" which might be needed for
students from all over the world to bond and feel like a real team.
He again says that
such games offer "a feeling of being there and a strong sense of co
presence" which might be just the answer to isolation within web based
learning communities.
References: Bruckman, A. "Gender Swapping on the internet.''(1993) Paper presented at the |INET, San Francisco, CA. Dwight, James. "REVIEW ESSAY - On the Internet (Hubert Dreyfus)." Elea E-Learning (2004): 146. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. "Second Life 'island' Created for Virtual Teaching." Msnbc.com. 5 Dec. 2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. Peterson, Mark. "Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games as Arenas for Second Language Learning." Computer Assisted Language Learning (2010): 429-39. Warburton, Steven. "Second Life in Higher Education: Assessing the Potential for and the Barriers to Deploying Virtual Worlds in Learning and Teaching." British Journal of Educational Technology: 414-26. |
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