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This is a presentation I gave at the 2009 Northeast Conference for Teachers of Foreign Languages (NECTFL) in NYC. The topic was how to use virtual worlds in foreign language education.
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Give Your Language
Class a SecondLife
Edo ForsytheNational Cryptologic School
[email protected]: Iwakihiro Rozensztok
What’ll we do today?
Audience Pulse Check What is SecondLife? Ideas for Including SL in your Curricula Sharing of Your Ideas and Experiences Q&A
What do you know about SecondLife?◦ Who has been in-world before? Often? Once or
twice?◦ Who’s here to see what SL & virtual worlds are all
about?◦ Who uses SL in their language classes already?
Audience Pulse Check
Let’s tailor our session to YOUR needs!
Newcomers to SecondLifeGo to www.secondlife.com and
click on the link to join.
High-speed Internet connection◦Cable / DSL or Broadband
New-ish Computer◦Any computer 3-yrs old or less should have
no problems; for older systems, the processor & video card are key for enjoyable experience in-world
Works on both PC and Mac
Check out http://secondlife.com/support/sysreqs.php
for specific details
What do you need?
Download the program (free!)
Create an Avatar and join the fun
You can change your appearance
later on!
Meet Iwakihiro Rozensztok
Plenty of Support is there for You
You know what it is, so how can you use
SecondLife in your language curricula?
Tips for in-world activities are included in your handout
Oddball Writing Activities
There are thousands of locations in SL and each one can be a learning experience. I found this unusual scene while exploring SL one day. My first thought was that I can have my students search out unusual things in SL and write about them in their target language.
Scavenger HuntsStudents can explore the whole world from in front of their computer: Moscow’s Red Square, a Day-of-the-Dead celebration, the White House, and much more. One easy activity is a scavenger hunt. In the Russian Archipelago, I found a sign inviting people to a wedding and touching it transports people (if they desire) to a Russian wedding office (the official place of legal weddings which also provide small parties for a price). The clue I gave for this location was “find a place where people’s lives are bound together and follow the link to join the party” (in Russian, of course).
SL Pre-lesson Activities
Before introducing a new idea or bit of culturally relevant information to the class, you can sometimes send them into SL to explore the virtual version of the topic. The wedding invitation mentioned above can also be used to get students thinking about how different weddings are in different countries.
Content-based SL TasksSome sites within SL have been created with the intent of providing an educational experience. After some exploration by teachers, students can be sent to these places for content-based learning.
Teen SecondLifeSeparate area for teens (made for teens 13 – 17 years old)
Safe and secure environment without adult content
Teachers can also gain access to Teen SL(must have own private island)
Check out http://teen.secondlife.com/
How have you given your classes a SecondLife?
Questions or Comments?
Join us for a SecondLife-
based Education
Conference in May!
Contact me with questions or for copies of this presentation: Edo
Forsythe ([email protected]) or in-world as Iwakihiro Rozensztok
