e-LANGUAGE, e-CULTURE, e-LITERATURE

WITHIN A VIRTUAL LEARNING CONTEXT

Secondlife.Com

Gemma Delicado Puerto, Paula Ferreira da Silva

Department of English, EXTREMADURA University, Campus Universitario, Cáceres, Spain

Eva María Domínguez Gómez

Department of Didáctica de la Expresión Musical, Plástica y Corporal, Extremadura University, Cáceres, Spain

Keywords: Web-based learning, Virtual instruction, Web 2.0 (strategies and tools), Language, Literature, Culture.

Abstract: Already having an impact on language instruction, the lack of space offered to the implementation of new

technologies and the Web 2.0 within the humanities is particularly absent in the culture and literature

teaching fields. This absence has originated the proposal we introduce here. Along our discussion we seek

to demonstrate the projection and validity of the execution of these tools and its advantages for our potential

consumers, college humanities professionals, whom in general are not very familiar with the usage of ICTs

in the classroom. By offering students the opportunity to surface and network with some of the Web 2.0

tools on Second Life.com, a Web-based space, they will face the acquisition of language, culture and

literature through a challenging and dynamic approach, which represents a novel and motivating way of

learning. Used as an educational tool, Second Life serves as a context where users can meet, communicate

and learn from speakers of other languages and cultures in a synchronous way by transforming themselves

into cyber-characters, the so called avatars. Thus, residing and actively participating in Second life can be

for virtual students, more fruitful than learning through traditional instruction, since cyber-students interact

without time or space limits, breaking conventional classroom barriers. As a consequence, the Web 2.0

offers the potential of a wide range of resources for variable kinds of innovative teaching/learning purposes

which will contribute to enhance teaching within this discipline.

1 A FEW REASONS TO INCLUDE

TICS IN LITERATURE AND

CULTURE TEACHING

Several reasons to illustrate the contribution of the

implementation of new technologies to the

humanities area, more specifically to the literature

and culture teaching will be discussed ahead.

Worldwide, technology is transforming the world of

art. Artists make efforts to employ it as craft for their

masterpieces understanding this unusual

combination as a vehicle to integrate science and

humanities, positioning themselves at the forefront

of innovation. Under this premise, we will come up

with several questions; may technology also revolt

the world of humanities teaching as it is now

transforming the world of arts? Can traditional

culture, literature and language teaching be

enhanced by using conventionally opposed concepts

such as science and arts? How would this revolution

take place in traditional scholarly? The answer to

these enquiries is positive, if we consider emerging

in a virtual world based on the Web 2.0 as an

expansion of the traditional teaching/learning

methodology.

Language teaching has emerged in Second Life

and teachers and educators are taking an innovative

approach by combining Second Life with voice

messengers such as Skype and other online teaching

tools. Among other possibilities, Second Life offers

its residents both an internal voice and written chat

as a way of communication. The synchronous nature

of chat or Skype provides users with “spontaneous

responses promoting active culture learning” as

Mike Levy states (2007). For instance, through

339

Delicado Puerto G., Ferreira da Silva P. and María Domínguez Gómez E. (2009).

e-LANGUAGE, e-CULTURE, e-LITERATURE WITHIN A VIRTUAL LEARNING CONTEXT - Secondlife.Com.

In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Computer Supported Education, pages 338-345

DOI: 10.5220/0002158603380345

 SciTePress

chatting on line the technique known as role-play,

which makes students imagine an agreed situation

and act it out, extends far beyond traditional limits

and takes on dimensions simulating reality and

fantasy in this virtual world, “when the deepest

identity change is possible with a single mouse click,

the opportunities to play are endless” (Au, 2008, p.

79). In other words, a role is played starting with the

learners´ design of his/her avatar’s tailored outer

shell to act and react to multiple forms of situational

contexts with other cyber-characters.

By means of written or spoken chat or even E-

mail, Cyber-students or avatars can interact at any

time, anywhere and with anyone they come across,

so conventional classroom scheduled obstacles like

limited time, restricted space, monolingual together

with monoculture constraints and authentic identity

fade into the setting. For these reasons, a cyber-

world hosts the potential of opening up a wide range

of development for variable kinds of e-learning

exercises in a faster and wide-ranging manner.

2 SECOND LIFE AND WEB 2.0: A

CHALLENGE TO IMPLEMENT

ICTS WITHIN THE

HUMANITIES

Worldwide, ICTs are starting to be seen as a

powerful tool for language training. However, the

perception of new technologies as a positive strategy

for the culture and literature teaching has not been

deeply considered in higher education yet. In our

proposal, we aim to reveal the projection and

validity of the implementation of this tool and its

various resources for our potential consumers,

college humanities professionals, whom in general

are not very familiar with the use of ICTs in the

classroom. By registering in this course, students

will face the acquisition of language, culture and

literature through this challenging method which

will embody a ground-breaking approach for

specific learning purposes.

Our proposal is consequently centered on the

analysis of user-learner capacity to engage and

interact in the acquisition of foreign languages,

culture and literature. We believe total immersion in

the learning scenario of virtual worlds and Web 2.0

tools offer exposure to elements of interaction,

providing the means to create motivating

environments (Figure 1) for students to learn.

(Strevens, 2008).

Figure 1: Motivating environments for students.

Inspired by Neal Stephenson’s novel Snow

Crash, Second Life is a virtual world created in

2003 by Linden Lab. In this parallel cyber-world

people can communicate and culturally interchange

by turning themselves into virtual characters, or

avatars. In the same way, a novel approach

motivated computer engineers to create this

analogous world, now we intend to inspire people

within the humanities to approach literature, culture

and language from a more lively and pleasant

perspective. This constructivist point of view

consists on exploiting emerging technological

concepts, strategies and tools (wikis, blogs, videos,

video blogs, podcasts, networking, directories, tags,

etc.) related to the Web 2.0 through Second Life.

2.1 Some Advantages of using Web 2.0

Tools for Culture and Literature

Teaching as Target

The complete role-play practice is based on several

factors most of which are learner rather than teacher

oriented (Edwards et al, 2008). In this sense, a great

amount of attention is placed on the learner and the

teacher acts merely as a guide:

A) there is certain personal investment and

identification on the part of the learner

involved in creating an avatar and in carrying

out his/her actions. The avatar can ideally

become an alter ego of the student and

experience the advantage of learning in a 3D

scenario.

B) role-play and social interaction are not limited

to actual lesson time, but rather, can be

lengthened over time (Figure 2). In this sense,

Second Life is a creative and enjoyable

environment which opens up the traditional

classroom walls dynamically. This interaction

CSEDU 2009 - International Conference on Computer Supported Education

340

can be positively enhanced through the use of

forums, wikis, blogs and other tools related to

Web 2.0.

Figure 2: avatar performance and role-playing.

C) avatar performance is directed by the learner

who encounters and creates interaction in

simulated settings. Statism of regular

classroom where students only interact with

classmates becomes more dynamic since users

are now offered real distant contact to increase

their language practice and enrich their

specific cultural and literary knowledge.

D) avatar actions become gradually multifaceted

as she/he accumulates a past, lives out its

present, and makes future plans.

E) both the avatars' physical and psychological

features can vary, be true to life, or materialize

into “want to be” aspirations. In other words,

something like if our humanity students could

step outside their body and experience life

from a remote point of view.

F) Edwards et al (2008) argue that the identity of

the real life learner is fundamentally wrapped

in a protective simmer behind the concealing

shield of his/her avatar, which may be a

particularly eye-catching characteristic to

motivate students to take learning risks. A

similar shield found in writing or reading can

be overcome by providing more freedom and

interest in learning, when transforming into a

virtual identity.

3 A COURSE PROPOSAL FOR

LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND

LITERATURE e-LEARNING

3.1 General Objectives

In general terms, the usage of these new tools (blogs,

wikis, podcasts, videos), supposes promising

possibilities in several humanities areas for new

generation of students in a coming future. Major

differences can be noted between traditional

methodologies and the resources of the World Wide

Web, for example, computers and its capabilities for

searching information immediately allows Internet

to be conceived as a global virtual encyclopedia. The

net offers something radically different to traditional

sources of knowledge, given that it facilitates

students to quickly deepen into contents in

opposition to conventional slow searching in library

catalogs and indexes. Using Internet and Second

Life from a methodological approach is challenging

since it will open up the classroom walls and

boundaries engaging students with new experiences

such as immediate and active language and cultural

interaction, literature discussion etc.

Keeping in mind the aim of the study, the

feasibility of using the potential of the Web 2.0 for

literature, culture and second language learning will

be developed under the general hypotheses of how

much motivation, engagement and learning could

lay beyond the walls of the traditional classroom

space (Figure 3).

Figure 3: learning literature within a fast and inspiring

context.

Using the topic of travel literature as a pretext

for teaching our proposal is built as follows:

e-LANGUAGE, e-CULTURE, e-LITERATURE WITHIN A VIRTUAL LEARNING CONTEXT - Secondlife.Com

341

 Introducing collaborative language /

literature teaching and learning (Web 2.0);

 Developing a new medium of foreign

language and culture transmission; and

understanding of ICTs and its application

 Introducing the topics of emigration and

identity in literature within the general topic of

Travel Literature.

3.2 Specific Objectives

 Giving educators the opportunity to

research on the roles of management

platforms and virtual environments in

literature, culture and foreign language

learning and teaching.

 Offering educators the opportunity to plan

strategies in order to apply the

methodology learned along this course with

their future potential students, especially

younger learners of foreign languages

because they already see the Internet as a

natural place to learn and play (Gibson,

Aldrich, and Prensky 2007).

 Introducing migration and identity through

the presentation of different virtual worlds

and environments within the context of

travel literature.

 Promoting interactive and collaborative

tasks as a means of acquiring linguistic and

cultural knowledge and developing

communicative competence.

4 COURSE PROPOSAL:

INTEGRATING LANGUAGE,

CULTURE, LITERATURE AND

ICT WITHIN THE

HUMANITIES CLASSROOM

Language teaching in virtual worlds is still at an

early phase of development, yet it is necessary to

generate research proving the advantages of the Web

for culture and literature training. Under this

emerging need, this project is aimed at being a

starting point conceived to be directed to

teachers/educators/ researchers of language,

literature and culture. The overall course will be

divided into ten sessions (forty-five minute each),

along which a certain amount of time will be

devoted to train users not familiar with certain

technological concepts to design and implement a

collaborative and interactive course in the Moodle

platform which will help them to enhance their

knowledge acquisition in creative ways.

After briefly stating the advantages of using

Moodle and other Web 2.0 tools, this article will

focus on the distribution of content and

methodological tools in the following charts (Figure

4).

SESSION Language / Culture and

literature objectives

SL/WEB 2.0

Instructions

Web 2.0 methodology and

tools

SESSION 1

Introducing participants into the

course and travel literature

(migration and identity)

Logging in Second Life

virtual world

First contact with Web 2.0

tools (wikis, blogs, video, chat,

Skype)

Web 2.0 (reading online, blog

posting, forum, tagging,

videoconferencing etc.) as a global

communicative language

Collaborative learning

Real distant interaction

Social constructivism

SESSION 2

Sub session

Presenting the literary

context of travel literature

Introducing the books and

authors that will serve as samples

Knowing, analysing the

capabilities of Web 2.0 and the

Moodle platform

SL instruction and

potentials

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction.

Tools: videoconference;

hypermedia; Second Life, Moodle

platform.

Figure 4: Table of content and methodological tools.

CSEDU 2009 - International Conference on Computer Supported Education

342

Sub session

Introducing the topic of

emigration to the USA

Presenting videos made by

students at the end of the previous

session

Analysing SL as a teaching

and collaborative environment

SL instruction and

potentials

Collaborative learning

Interaction;

Tools: Web 2.0 video; blogs,

hypermedia; hypertext; Second

Life.

Communicating and interacting

online (forum, wiki, etc.)

SESSION 3

Sub session

Introducing multiculturalism,

identity, discrimination, etc.

through the presentation of

different virtual worlds and

environments

Analysing SL as a teaching

and collaborative environment

Developing knowledge

through hypermedia

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction;

developing knowledge through

hypermedia

Tools: voice; chat; hypermedia;

Second Life

Reading online; chat; video;

oral debate; slide presentation

Sub session

Analysing multiculturalism,

identity, discrimination, etc.

through the presentation of

different interactive applications

Developing knowledge

through hypermedia

Interaction; collaborative

learning; constructivism.

Tools: video; hypertext;

Second Life; social networks,

Facebook

Communicating and interacting

online; sharing files; video

presentation

SESSION 4

Sub session

Analysing literature

excerpts/stories

Exploring the potentialities

of SL as a teaching and learning

environment

Exploring the potentialities

of SL as a teaching

environment

Second Life potentials:

voice tool.

Web 2.0: social networks;

video sharing; online

communication

Moodle: quizzes

Introducing and teaching

Moodle multiple-choice quizzes

(use of quizzes for micro—skills

acquisition)

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction;

developing knowledge through

hypermedia

Tools: voice; hypermedia;

Second Life; Moodle

Sub session

Cultural and historical

background on emigration to the

USA

Methodological

exploitation and use of the tool

in SL

Web 2.0 potentials:

webpage; hypermedia

Collaborative writing /critical

thinking

Interaction; collaborative

learning; constructivism

Tools: images; hypertext;

Second Life; wiki; blog

Communicating and interacting

online; oral debate; uploading

images

Figure 4: Table of content and methodological tools (cont.).

e-LANGUAGE, e-CULTURE, e-LITERATURE WITHIN A VIRTUAL LEARNING CONTEXT - Secondlife.Com

343

SESSION 5

Analysing literary excerpts

dealing with emigration and

identity

SL instruction and

potentials of

Web 2.0: use of

COVCELL whiteboard; social

networks; video sharing; online

communication

COVCELL whiteboard

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction.

Tools: voice; hypermedia;

Second Life; Moodle

Reading; chat; oral debate;

forum

SESSION 6

Giving a lecture in SL:

Literary excerpts dealing

with emigration, identity,

discrimination and cultural

differences

Second Life potentials:

oral presentation

Web 2.0: video sharing;

online communication

Moodle: creation of

content

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction

Tools: voice; video;

hypermedia; Second Life; Moodle

Reading; chat; oral debate;

videoconference; PowerPoint

presentation

SESSION 7

Literary excerpts dealing

with cultural differences

Exploring SL virtual world

SL instruction and

potentials

Introducing Webquests;

Interacting in the Moodle

platform

Constructivism

SESSION 8

Discussing multiculturalism

and multicultural aspects of

language learning

Exploring SL virtual world

Teaching/Learning how to

make a blog

Blogging

Social

networking/communication

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction

Tools: voice; hypermedia;

Second Life; Moodle; Webquest

Reading; chat; oral debate;

videoconference; PowerPoint

presentation

SESSION 9

Discussing multiculturalism

and multicultural aspects of

language learning

Coming in contact with

historical and cultural concepts

Exploring SL virtual world

Planning a closing meeting

in SL

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction

Tools: voice; hypermedia;

Second Life; Moodle; social

networking/communication

Reading; chat; oral debate;

blog

SESSION 10

Evaluate and reflect on what

participants have learned to

extend discussions, to conclude

projects and to look at what the

future holds

Developing an interactive

and collaborative course in the

Moodle platform;

Second Life potentials:

oral and content presentation;

social interaction; role playing

Web 2.0 potentialities and

tools

Collaborative learning;

constructivism; interaction

Tools: voice; hypermedia;

Second Life; Moodle; social

networking/communication; social

networks

Reading; chat; oral debate;

blog; wiki; Webquest;

videoconference

Figure 4: Table of content and methodological tools (cont.).

CSEDU 2009 - International Conference on Computer Supported Education

344

5 CONCLUSIONS

The intention of our proposal based on performing

and developing innovative expansions of the Web

2.0 capabilities through Second Life, is to introduce

new teaching approaches, which place a high value

on participant’s creativity, participation, sharing, and

cooperation when learning (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Interaction and collaborative work in SL.

Our project helps users to discover e-language,

e-literature and e-culture by adopting collaborative

and interactive Web 2.0 tools. Despite the fact that

in the traditional classroom, the role of a teacher is

of an information deliverer and that of students is a

passive receiver, in Second Life both teachers and

students can co-tailor a learning atmosphere, being

an option to conventional classes when compulsory

circumstances are met. Even though in many

universities and other higher learning institutions,

the development of web-based projects is often the

consequence of casual acts of improvement initiated

by risk-taking individual researchers, as a variety of

adaptable, e-learning formats, programs and sites

become available, both teachers and students will

become fascinated in making the most of the

potentials of www.secondlife.com

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