SECOND LIFE

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While reading the article written by Calogne, who has experience in teaching courses using the virtual world of Second Life in nine universities, I was surprised to learn that nowadays there are educational institutions that are using virtual worlds for educational purposes successfully. Second Life is a 3D graphical setting and each person can have an avatar representing themselves. In this new type of learning environment student can meet for class activities, which include lectures, discussions, various group projects and case studies. It was very exciting for me to learn that a teacher can transfer his/her regular class into a completely new setting. For example, you can have a class somewhere on the beach, or in a different country. Besides, in Second Life students can create content using virtual tools. Here they really have the chance of being creative. Here students are not passive; they are actively involved in the learning process.

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Another important thing that I would like to mention is that in Second life students’ participation is observable by the teacher throughout the course. This in itself makes it easier for the teacher to assess and give feedback.

According to the article by Welch, virtual worlds are a good way to capture students’ attention as they get excited when they have the chance of interacting in a new kind of environment, socializing and accomplishing tasks. Various kinds of virtual worlds, including Second life, can be adapted for educational purposes. However, for this teachers should consider many essential factors affecting the quality of virtual education.  According to Welch, one of the main challenges is transferring a safe physical environment into a safe virtual learning environment.

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Welch thinks that lessons conducted in a virtual setting are not well-developed and often lack proper guidance and monitoring. However, according to Cologne, teachers can have a well-structured course due to careful planning, a good syllabus defining the main objectives of the course and proper grading rubrics.

I think, it would be really exciting to introduce this kind of learning in the English courses in Armenia. However, we should realize that virtual worlds are not completely safe in terms of content, and this might not be appropriate for any age-group. Thus, together with benefits, teachers should be aware of the challenges Second Life  presents and try to face them in the right way.