What is Second life ? i will show you today

Introduction

New teaching and learning tool can be part of the classroom such: blog, Mp3, social network, and wiki. Many teachers use these technologies to enhance their teaching skills. However, some of technologies are still new for teachers such as Second Life. This paper will focus on how Second Life can help teachers to create their own teaching communities. Second Life is a new tool. It also can enhance language proficiency learning and teaching by both teachers and students. It is important for our teachers to use new technology in their classroom. In the purpose of paper is to introduce is second life; second, Second Life can be a tool, Third, Advantages of second life in an EFL English classroom, Fourth, Effectiveness and limitation of Second life.
Rymaszewski, Wallace, Winters, Ondrejka, Batston & Cuningham (2007) stated that “We live in a world that is becoming more networked every day, and the internet has grown into an essential medium for communication, socialization, and creative expression. Virtual worlds like Second Life represents the future of human interaction in a globally networked world, and students who have grown up with the internet naturally swim in these waters”.
What is Second Life?

According to Wikipedia (2008), “Second life is an internet-based virtual world video game with a free downloadable client program called the second life viewer which enables its users, called “residents”, to interact with each other through motional avatars providing an advanced level of a social network.”

The most important definition among all the articles is provided by Stevens (2006); Second Life has advantages of using virtual worlds for different educational purposes. It has been accepted that our students have different perspectives and abilities to compare the learners’ idea (Prensky, 2001).

Second Life Can be a Tool for Second Language Learning

Most of the articles talking about what second life is a specific tools for language learning (Prensky, 2001; Gee, 2003; Dede et al, 2005 Stevens, 2001). However, second life is very new in education. Education can use by second life. It is a partnership with pedagogy and digital technology. If Second life effectively in education, it will be increased implements. It considers the technology alongside the educational opportunity. Second life has various elements available synchronous communication. Another example is by Delwiche (2006) addressed that Second life is a teaching and learning tool. Users can design problem solving tasks by using Second life. There are three dimensional modeling tools and their imaginations. Students can build their communities in Second life. Challenges question and problem solving can be created also. It is flexible tool that teachers can help students 24 hours a day.

Advantages of Second Life in an EFL English classroom.
As we mentioned above, education, benefits from face to face to virtual world environment. It is moving from ore perspectives method of learning, such as lectures towards problem solving. Our students can get more experience under the guidance of real world experts which is not available in a traditional campus settings. (John, 2007).
It identifies the following benefits of using second life for education. These benefits may be generalized to all virtual worlds. Good (2004, as cited in Bixler, 2007, P3).
1. The virtual space can be modeled to match your learning needs
2. You can look at what you want, whenever you want. There is no need to comb your hair your avatar’s hair is ever mussed, unless you want it that way!
3. Exploration and discovery are possible.
4. Diversity is increased, and many of the negative real-world issues are associated with lack of understanding of the importance of diversity is minimized. When it can appear as you wish, you used to see the surface of the individual.
Moreover, another reason for the success of second life is that Mayrath, Sanchez, Traphagan, Heikes,& Trivedi,(2007) that we do not need to have space; however, this service is often challenging when we design instructional activities for our students.
Effectiveness and Limitation of Second Life
In ten articles which are cited in this literature review, there are no articles note the disadvantages of using second life in second language teaching and learning. All articles have notes advantages of using second life to learn language.
Stevens (2007) reported that there are some interesting viewpoints in integrating technologies into language teaching and learning such as “not all effective language teachers are native speakers” and students “love to learn but hate to be taught”. As we have seen, it is very important to integrate technologies in our teaching. Peterson (2006) pointed it out that the effectiveness of second life is to use active worlds for language learning that students were able to accept different tasks by target language interaction and also employed transactional communication strategies. For example, “the learner interaction was influenced by the complex interaction of a number of variables including task type, sociolinguistic factors, context of use and the mixed of technical provided by active worlds” (Peterson, 2006)
Conclusion

Second life is not new technology. It is developing now. However so many researchers are concerned with technology. Therefore, it is time to carry out research to support second life which can be used effectively in L2 teaching and learning. As we have known, some universities are trying to create virtual course for students. Second life may be recommended to be as supporting teaching and learning tools for educational system. This paper is only introduced based information on second life. In the future research is needed to focus on the effective use of second life for teaching language in education.




















References

Bixler, B. (2007). SL Educational possibilities: Second Life educational possibilities and
considerations. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/gaming/node/193

Dede, C., Clarke, J., Ketelhut, D., Nelson, B., & Bowman, C. (2005). Fostering
motivation, learning, and transfer in multiuser virtual environments. Paper presented
at the American Educational Research Association Conference, Montreal.

Delwiche, A. (2006). Massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) in the new media
classroom. Educational Technology & Society, 9(3), 160-172.

Gee, J. P. (2003). What videogames have to teach us about learning and literacy? New
York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Good, R. (2004). 3D virtual spaces for learning and collaboration. Retrievd July
http://www.masternewmedia.org/2004/09/27/3d_virtual_spaces_for_learning.htm y
11, 2006

John. (2007). Best practices from the second life community convention education
track 2007. Paper presented at the community convention 2007, New York.
Mayrath, M., Sanchez, J., Traphagan, T.,Heikes, J.,& Trivedi, A.(2007).Using second life
in an English course:designing class activities to address learning objectives. On the
ED MEDIA .Retrieved 2007 from: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky.pdf

Peterson, M. (2006, February). Learner interaction management in an avatar and chat-
based virtual world. Computer Assisted Language Learning 19, 1: 79-103

Rymaszewski, M., Au, W.J., Wallace, M., Winters, C., Ondrejka, C., & Batstone-
Cunningham, B. (2007). Second Life: The official guide. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley
Publishing.

Stevens, V. (2006). Second Life in education and language learning. [Electronic version].
TESL-EJ, 10(3). Retrieved December 2, 2007 from http://tesl-ej.org/ej39/int.html
Presky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9. Retrieved
December 27, 2006 from: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky.pdf