www.secondlife.com
Belz,J. & Vyatkina, n. (2005.Learner corpus analysis and the development of L2 pragmatic competence in networked intercultural language study: The case of German modal particles.
In the above article, Belz and Vyatkina conclude that computer mediated communication, when coupled with classroom examination of the communication that takes place through the computer program, can result in a heightened awareness in the students of L2 pragmatic and form features (p. 26).
It would appear, then, that Second Life would be a useful tool for students to use to develop skills in their L2. I believe there are both advantages and disadvantages to using this tool.
Second Life is a virtual reality program in which members create their own avatar and use the avatar to communicate with other users anywhere in the world. Communication takes place either through written chat or voice chat by microphone. Students could use both forms of communication to experience authentic communication in context. They are able to communicate with native speakers of their L2. These experiences could lead to a heightened awareness of how language is used in context, as well as the forms of the language. However, if used in a classroom context, use of Second Life would need to be closely monitored by the teacher. Communication sessions could be saved and used during class to study forms and pragmatics of the language used.
There are some disadvantages to using Second Life. First, it would require much time to set up students with an avatar and train them in how to use the program. It would be easy, I believe, for students to become easily distracted by all of the opportunities available on the program, and therefore the teacher would need to develop specific guidelines/instructions/tasks for the students to follow. Until students are very familiar with the program, they might get frustrated with figuring out how to navigate in Second Life.
Second Life might be a useful tool for students to explore on their own outside of the classroom, or for one-on-one sessions with an instructor. However, I believe that one-on-one instruction could just as easily take place through other means of technology, such as Tokbox or instant messaging.
Good point about the teacher having to closely monitor student use of second life in the classroom. It seems like there are a lot of "gutters" that people could get sucked into on this venue.
ReplyDeleteChristine,
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