Second Life

After much giggling and turning my nose up at it, I think I'm starting to see how Second Life could be a useful tool. Much like video chatting, this could be a good way for students to interact. Both SL and video conferencing tools allow people to come together in an authentic manner and use language, but SL appears to have several advantages. I could definitely see SL working for students in isolated situations, including English as a Foreign Language settings. By creating a virtual space for students to meet, English Language Learners can meet and participate in activities that will give them something to talk about. One of the biggest problems I've experienced with conversation partners is a lack of things to talk about, but with SL, ELLs can "visit" different "places"--ie, the Eiffel Tower, Tikal, Rome, etc.--and talk about those particular things. Students can "friend" each other, which means that if they set a time and a meeting location, they can avoid having to find new people to talk to each time they sign on. There are many strange things about SL, but it does appear that this is a good medium for learning English.