As I continue my exploration of educational technologies, this week I will look at a virtual Second Life (SL) environment and a website offering ESL games.  I will also discuss how they both can be used with adult ESL learners.

In 2010, Lingnan University, located in Hong Kong, approved the creation of an educational resource to be used as part of global language-learning endeavor that became a component of one of the institution’s ESL courses.  A collaborative effort was then established in the same year between the Lingnan ESL class and students studying to Teach English as a Second or Other Language (TESOL) at Texas A&M University.  “This partnership between ESL and TESOL courses offers a natural synergy for both sides, where both the native English tutors and the English-learning students can benefit from the natural-language interactions enabled by the SL technology to converse in a fully immersive virtual environment” (Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012, p. 91).  The collaborative virtual environment (CVE) that was created for this partnership was located on the Lingnan University Island and featured a sizeable facility for language-learning called the Caddy Shack.  It looked like an American, 1950s diner “with a large bar and restaurant seating area, rotating dance floor, and 12 classic convertible Cadillac cars” (p. 91).  The cars were redesigned to serve as booths seating up to 4 avatars and were fitted with TV displays that could show videos from the Internet, art, music, etc. that would stimulate conversation and interaction, all controlled by the human-like avatars.  The booths were “designed to support voice conversations using the voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology built into SL, which works in a fashion similar to Skype” (p. 93).  The area on the University Island outside of the diner was also developed with additional features for students to explore with their conversational colleagues such as a beach environment, a meadow for riding horses, jet skis for island touring, a carousel, and campfires placed along the coastline.  This global laboratory involved a sequence of hands-on, two-hour experiences “two or three times a week at language computer labs” (p. 93).  Students participating in the global classroom from both institutions originated a SL avatar account (free) and received training in navigating and interacting in the CVE.  They also learned how to document their activities in this language-learning world (Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012).  Comments from students about what they found enjoyable and interesting about using the CVE included:  developing international friendships, sharing of interests and feelings, talking to different people, speaking the English language with native speakers, and experiencing the VoIP features and the SL virtual environment.  This “immersive virtual environment…[offered] a very good simulation of face-to-face interaction, with its fast-paced small talk and informal language style” (p. 99).  I chose to review this Second Life multi-user virtual environment because research has indicated that it has value to the ESL adult learner.  Ho (2006; as cited in Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012, p. 90) expressed “a desire for teaching environments where a lot more attention is paid to active and engaging teacher-student and student-student interactive behavior.”  In addition, Mishan (2007; as cited in Knutzen & Kennedy, 2012) noted that chatting online offers exposure for ESL learners to informal, conversational language. 

If, as an ESL educator, I had the availability of a Second Life CVE, I would ask my students to form a collaborative partnership with a native English speaker on the environment, simulate various social actions there, and carry-on conversations regarding the activities they participate in together.  A second activity I might ask them to do is to visit other places on the Island and tell their partner about something they saw or experienced.  After each activity, I would ask students to document their “language-learning activities on discussion forums” and upload them for assessment purposes (p. 94).  Knutzen and Kennedy (2012) included multiple pictures of the various locations available to visit on this global SL classroom in their article.  It was a fascinating article to read.

Reference

Knutzen, B. and Kennedy, D. (2012). The global classroom project: Learning a second language in a virtual environment. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 10(1), p. 90-106.

The second educational technology I am reviewing this week is the website, ESL Games (http://www.eslgamesworld.com/), which offers free, fun, and interactive games for ESL leaners of all ages to work on English vocabulary and grammar.  This site offers assistance to teachers by providing ESL games that are fun for use in classrooms, computer games that are interactive, PowerPoint templates and games, board games, and grammar, reading, and vocabulary games (Free ESL Fun Games, Interactive Grammar & Vocabulary Games for Classrooms, n.d.).  I might incorporate this website into my future ESL practice by asking learners to play the various Jeopardy Quiz Show ESL Games either individually or in groups of up to four players.  I might also ask learners to play the various Billionaire ESL Games in the same way.  These games will expose students to English words, sentences, and grammar and help them reinforce the literacy skills they have been learning.  These computer games are offered at different levels and keep students more engaged than having them only work out of textbooks or workbooks.  This website can also be used by students outside of the classroom and offers the opportunity to focus on some specific ESL skill sets.

Reference

Free ESL Fun Games, Interactive Grammar & Vocabulary Games for Classrooms. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.eslgamesworld.com/