Sunday, November 3, 2019

2019 #VWEDU: #DTA Language learning in virtual worlds. What the Digital Teaching Assistant could do


Language learning in virtual worlds.  
What the Digital Teaching Assistant could do

The best place to learn a language is where everybody speaks it.  There even the little kids speak it.  A Digital Teaching Assistant (DTA) can help.    This article is explicitly licensed Public Domain (CC0).
 You need to know the names
in the target language
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Immersive language learning

Language learning in virtual worlds

A virtual place for language learning

  • The learning place uses only the target language. 
  • The place is has many everyday objects that are in in the vocabulary list. 
  • The objects can give their names in chat if a parameter is set to starter.
  • The self-naming feature can be gradually disabled for more advanced students.

Language learning games 

Treasure hunt

  • Find each item in a challenge list (in the target language).
  • Items are in expected locations (shoes in a shoe store, etc.)
  • On click, the object gives a token identifying the object.
  • The challenge is to collect all the tokens as fast as they can.  
  • Anyone fluent in the relevant vocabulary can do that quickly.
  • Anyone who is slow needs more practice--and is getting it.
  • Educational treasure hunt game

Follow instructions

  • DTA gives instructions in the target language (in text or spoken).
  • The instructions call for actions that can be carried out in the location:
  • "Click the red block at the base of the big tree."
  • The instructions can be as complicated as needed to show comprehension.
  • The instructions can use part of the target vocabulary.
  • The time score will show the level fluency.   

More game sources

Who should prepare the DTA for a language?

  • It could be a university where the target is spoken as the native language.
  • Language learning: What could a virtual (online) campus offer?
  • The cost would be too high for most students to go that university for study.
  • But the university could have a virtual campus on the student's laptop.  
  • Or it could provide study sessions managed by native speakers. 
  • The study sessions could offer language games prepared by native speakers.

Related

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License

  • Original text in this blog is CC By: unless specified public domain
  • Use as you please with attribution: link to the original.
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