Using MOOs to Help Learn English

Winter 2001 TESOL Journal 27

TiPSfrom

the CLASSROOMUsing MOOs to Help Learn English

James Miller

MOOs, English learners of any level canparticipate. The only absolutely necessarypiece of equipment is, of course, a com-puter with Internet access.

Suggested ActivityGuidelinesYou can create a number of differentactivities using MOOs. One that workswell is to have students visit a MOO andfind someone to talk to. This other personcan be a classmate or a stranger, dependingon what you want to accomplish. (Al-though MOOs are quite safe from stalkersand other cyber predators, younger, lesscomputer-savvy students should be madeaware of Internet safety guidelines. See thesidebar on p. 28 for a list of sites that offersafety tips.) You can have your studentsconduct an interview with the other person,or just have them talk about anything theylike. You can give your students a fewguidelines or questions to help them initiatean interview or conversation (e.g., “Hello,

handled through reading and simplewriting. Visitors to these virtual universi-ties, such as SchMOOze University (http://schmooze .hunter.cuny.edu/test.html), cantake a class on how to navigate around theuniversity, visit the student union, have abowl of jambalaya in the cafeteria, go for aswim, or meet and interact with otherstudents (authentic and virtual).

When someone first arrives atSchMOOze University, they have the opt-ion of jumping right into the various act-ivities (e.g., treasure hunts, sightseeing) ifthey are familiar with the necessary com-mands, or they can take a short and simpleon-line class that teaches them how tomaneuver around the university. Oncefamiliar with the MOO lingo, visitors canembark on an exciting language learningexperience.

Most of the visitors to MOOs arelanguage students from around the worldwho go to meet other students and practicetheir English. Because of the simplicity ofthe commands and the simple layout of the

In this modern age of technology, it seems,at times, that we in the world of ESL areoutside this phenomenon looking in. Moreand more, people around us are incorporat-ing the Internet and the World Wide Webinto their daily activities.

As with any other area of work or study,there are countless activities involving theInternet that ESL teachers can incorporateinto their daily lesson plans. One particu-larly enjoyable activity for teachers andstudents alike involves multiuser domains(MUDs) that are object oriented—orMOOs for short. MOOs are similar to chatrooms in that they allow people fromaround the world to chat in real time, butthey have the added luxury of allowingvisitors to simultaneously perform a visualsimulation, such as explore a “virtualuniversity.” For example, if visiting thevirtual university library, each area of thelibrary is described briefly, and the MOOusers are told, in simple English, what theycan do in that particular area. All com-mands and sightseeing maneuvers are

Overcoming one’s inhibitions to

speak and interact can be a major

hurdle for many language learners.

This issue's tips feature an

assortment of multimedia,

integrated-skills activities to boost

students’ confidence in their ability

to communicate clearly and

comfortably with others.

28 TESOL Journal Winter 2001

my name is Jim. I am studying English inCalifornia. May I speak with you for awhile?”). Explain to your students whatthey should be practicing while conductingthe interview. For example, if the class hasjust studied the present perfect continuoustense, they should do their best to ask andanswer questions using only the presentperfect continuous. One student may ask,“What have you been doing since youarrived in the U.S.?” The reply might be, “Ihave been studying English at an Englishschool near my house.”

Joining a MOOFor MOO activities to work best, studentsfirst need to become a member of a MOO(one you have already chosen). MostMOOs will allow you to log on as a visitor,but there are certain restrictions and areasthat are not accessible to visitors. Member-ship in a MOO is almost always free, andthe steps required to join are fairly simple.If all the required information (e.g., name,e-mail address, occupation) is enteredcorrectly, this process takes only minutes.

Other MOO FeaturesWhen you first introduce MOOs to yourstudents, it is recommended that you workon-line with them initially to monitor theirpractice of English. This will also allowyou to help them explore the MOO. Agreat MOO that will allow you to observestudents’ on-line interactions is Tapped In(http://www.tappedin.org/). As a memberof Tapped In, you can print out a transcriptof all student interactions. You can also

create your own virtual classrooms, whereentire classes can meet. You can furnish theclassroom with whatever you like, such asvirtual tables, hot tubs, or couches. Each ofthese items will allow students to work ingroups while you monitor or participate inconversations they are having. It is a goodidea to let the students know before theactivity begins that you will be monitoringtheir conversations and interviews. Eacharea of the virtual setting is isolated fromthe others so that the students at the couch,for example, will only be able to interactwith others in the same location.

A nice thing about having your ownvirtual classroom is that you can conductremote classes. For example, you canarrange to meet with your students outsideof the physical classroom at a designatedtime. That way, students can attend classfrom their home computer or from anycomputer that has Internet access.

ConclusionStudents like MOOs because they providea change of pace from regular in-classactivities and homework. MOO activitiesallow students to practice what they are

Current theories in teaching ESL advocatethe use of authentic texts in the classroom.Movies and TV programs created fornative English speakers not only presentreal language, but also provide an authenticlook at culture (Stempleski, 1992). Usingvideos, especially comedy or action/adventure programs, stimulates students’interest. One activity that can be employedin a variety of settings, including university

IEPs, adult, and secondary ESL programs,is a video jigsaw activity. Unlike a readingjigsaw where one student reads one part ofan article and the other student readsanother, students are exposed to the samesegment, but one half of the class views thevideo without sound, and the other halflistens to an audiotape of the segmentwithout seeing it.

Choosing aVideo SegmentThe goals and objectives of the lesson orclass should be primary considerationswhen choosing a video segment. A videosegment that will hold students’ interest isalso an important consideration. Forexample, I chose a 2-minute video segmentof the popular U.S. TV sitcom Friends

Video JigsawJudith Reynolds

learning and give them more control overtheir learning of English. Many times,students will enjoy these activities so muchthat they will visit the MOOs during theirfree time. This allows the students to learnmore English while interacting with othersin an environment designed for languagelearning.

RecommendedReadingTurbee, L. (1999). Classroom practice:MOO, WOO, and more—Language learn-ing in virtual environments. In J. Egbert &E. Hanson-Smith (Eds.), Call environments:Research, practice, and critical issues (pp.346–361). Alexandria, VA: TESOL.

AuthorJames Miller holds an MS in TESOL fromCalifornia State University, Fullerton(CSUF). He has taught a range of subjects,including public speaking, reading, comp-osition, TOEFL, oral language, and pro-nunciation. Currently he teaches ESL atthe American Language Program (an IEP)at CSUF and at Fullerton College.

Web Sites That Offer Guidelines on Internet Safety

• http://www.4-h.org/tech/online-safety.php3• http://www.iol.ie/~dromore/safety/menu.htm• http://www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/internet/takecare.htm• http://www.iol.ie/~cgi1/safety_guidelines.htm

Note: Most of these sites are directed toward young children, but the guidelines are applicableto anyone who uses the Internet.