• Home
  • Login
  • Registration
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
ESLarticle.com
Tweet
  • Home
  • Articles
  • Blog
  • Members
  • Add Article

Top Categories

Teaching 509
Other 210
Classroom Management 138
Career Development 135
Learning Methodology 121
Study Skills 90
E-Learning/CALL 87
English Language Learning (ELL) 78
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) 77
Teaching Methodology 76
English Language Teaching (ELT) 73
English as a Second Language (ESL) 64
Teach in Shanghai
Home / Articles / English as a Second Language (ESL) / View Article

Publishing

  • Articles
  • Add Article
  • Articles Archive
  • Latest Articles
  • Popular Articles

Latest Articles

Jan 5, 2019

Metacognition in Reading Competency

As related to the reading process, metacognition can be defined as contemplation concerning one's own thinking processes or knowledge of one's own...

Jan 5, 2019

Mass Media Literacy Reflections for Language Instructions

"You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself." Galileo Galilei Mass media forms thrive today. As development...

Nov 30, 2018

Ideas for the First Class with New Learners

~~The first class with new learners can be an anxious one for all concerned – teacher as well as learners. Below are some tips to make that first...

Nov 19, 2018

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners

10 Amazing Hacks for English Learners It is estimated that there are over a billion English speakers in the world, including native speakers,...

Nov 15, 2018

Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Hom

Education Today, December 2013 Building Reading and Writing Knowledge with Very Young Children at Home  Timothy G. Weih University of Northern...

Popular Articles

1142822 Views

5 Creative Ways to Decorate Your Classroom Bulletin Board This Winter

Back to school, fall leaves, Thanksgiving and Christmas all easily lend themselves to great decorating themes, but what to do when those are over...

381567 Views

Three Unique Ideas To Make Your Bulletin Board More Useful

Bulletin boards have long been existent in campuses. They have proven to be such versatile and useful aids in both the learning and teaching...

140627 Views

History of the Chalkboard

Walk into just about any classroom and you will find one: A dark green board on the wall, lined with pieces of chalk and felt erasers. Chalkboards,...

65151 Views

Report Card Comments

For a small minority, writing report cards isn't a big deal. But most teachers generally dread report card writing time. Completing the comment...

49101 Views

Second Language Acquisition: Swain's Output Vs Krashen's Input

1. Introduction: Input versus Output. A general overview In order to assess how compatible Krashen's and Swain's views are, it is essential to...


Addressing Virtual World Scepticism (Second Life)

by Guest

Jan 17, 2009 English as a Second Language (ESL) 5363 Views

k/KipYellowjacket/art_792_7b3f112db6~.jpg

Language teachers who have not yet taken it upon themselves to investigate the viability of Second Life as a language learning/teaching platform often approach me with the following concern.

Isn't the learning curve confronted in virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life) a bit too steep for "the masses" (in this context language learners and teachers) to fully realize their potential?

There is no doubt that the virtual world of Second Life (SL) is fraught with challenge after challenge, especially for language teachers who are not necessarily considered tech-savvy. That said, I see the so-called "steep learning curve" confronted by users of SL (SLers) as both a blessing and a burden. In my mind, the obstacles confronted often create opportunities for the language learner/teacher to engage in "natural conversation". In other words, real reasons to communicate quickly become apparent. The "small-talk phase" is generally quickly surpassed due to the constantly increasing plethora of activity on the grid. Language learners therefore very soon reach their linguistic limits and either have to focus on improving knowledge of the required language (often English) or accept the repeating sense of frustration that comes with not being able to express oneself properly. Persistent learners AND TEACHERS are the ones who find Second Life particularly useful and rewarding. Reluctance to "adopt" and the tendency for some SLers (language teachers/learners and general users of the platform) to "drop out" are issues which are more difficult to remedy, as the decision to leave or ignore Second Life is often based on a variety of factors, e.g. time constraints, non-gamelike nature of SL, etc.

Second Life is for language learners/teachers who have an insatiable PASSION FOR LEARNING!

To respond to the question more directly, other virtual worlds that are a bit more simplistic in nature than Second Life also exist. THERE (www.There.com) is an example of a virtual world which also has potential for language learning/teaching. However, simplicity also has trade-offs. My own experience in THERE has led me to believe that it is more difficult to get past small-talk and move on to creating chances for "serious learning". I think the platform's simplicity has had the consequence of primarily attracting users who are not seeking a learning experience, who instead wish to just hang out and "shoot the bull".

I don't think virtual worlds (as language learning platforms) are currently for the masses because there are indeed, as many sceptics have indicated, many factors which can lead certain people to either not see their value and/or be reluctant to take on the challenge of exploring them. I suppose this will primarily be overcome by improving platform usability and augmenting teacher/learner internet technology skills and awareness. This takes time...

Article source: http://eslarticle.com/pub/english-as-a-second-language-esl/792-addressing-virtual-world-scepticism-second-life.html

  • General Information
  • Pictures
General

Pictures:

Most Recent Articles

  • Oct 6, 2018 Developing English As a Second Language by Guest
  • Jul 11, 2018 Tips to Make ESL Learning Fun! by Guest
  • Apr 10, 2018 Consider this: Ideas for ESL Teachers. by Guest
  • Apr 9, 2018 The Challenge of Teaching ESL in Australia. by Guest
  • Jun 21, 2017 Vocabulary Development Powered By Film Credits For ESL Learners by Guest

Actions

  • Print Page

Articles Archive

  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021

Random Articles

Classroom Management

38 Effective Strategies for Classroom Management

This article gives 38 effective strategies for classroom management. These strategies may not be what you are used to and may require changes on...

English as a Second Language (ESL)

Storyboarding for English As a Second Language Classes

Storyboarding for English As a Second Language classes One of the important goals for any ESL class, and one that tends to get lost in the shuffle...

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (T

TESOL Lesson Planning

The Art Of Lesson Planning Some people feel as though lesson plans are a waste of time, or that they restrict their teaching freedom. It is true...

Teaching

The Student-Teacher Ratio and Your Child

How do you measure a successful school? There are many factors that contribute to the achievements a child makes during his educational career....

About ESL Article

ESL Article is a private ESL/TEFL site designed and maintained by educators and educational administrators. It was launched in August 2008 with the aim of bringing ESL/TEFL students, parents, teachers and schools information and articles about the teaching profession and learning community.

Icon Group Member

ESL Article is a member of Icon Group Thailand (IGT), a group of ESL TEFL TESOL websites providing educational resources and information to teachers, schools and students around the world. The group was founded in 2003 and now includes 15+ websites covering educational information services, teaching resources and e-learning.

What is ESL?

English as a second language (ESL) is the use or study of English by speakers of different native languages. It is also known as English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), English as an additional language (EAL), and English as a foreign language (EFL).

  • Home
  • Registration
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Help
  • Partner
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
​

© 2022 ESLarticle.com.
Member of Icon Group Thailand - Educating the Future:
TESall All TESOL  Total ESL  ESL Job Feed
TEFL World  TEFL Jobs Overseas  Teach Overseas
Asia TEFL  ESL Powerpoint  Teacher Training