Second Life experiences

Last week I was assigned with the task of trying a massively multiplayer online game (or MMO for short), called Second Life, and testing its language learning possibilities. At first sight, it looked nothing more but a glorified chat room with added visuals, based on the well known life simulator game, The Sims. But is there really nothing more to it?

Luckily I wasn't completely unfimiliar with this game, since I made an account as long as 2 years ago, but I still managed to stumble into some difficulties. It's running in a special web browser viewer, so the installation was quick and easy. However, the user interface isn't really intuitive and it's difficult to navigate through it. If you have an older computer, you also have to face the issue of lagging because this game is quite heavy on the video card.

Anyway, after recreating my long lost character, I set out to the island of language learners and professors: Edunation  II. It took some time figuring out how to actually get there, but after a while I finally found my destination. It was the Webheads HQ where I was heading, a group founded by Graham Stanley, a teacher residing in Spain. The place is beautiful and it offers actual classes in different themed classrooms, based on what language you want to learn. I've only seen institutions for Spanish, Swedish and Italian learners but I'm pretty sure there are much more. If the teacher is online, you can join the class and contribute to it, just like in real life. In the case of them being offline, you can watch embedded youtube videos about language acquisition and do other interesting activities.

If it wasn't for the technical difficulties, I'd encourage everyone with a computer and working internet connection to try this life simulator game out for themselves. However, being as it is, you can't fully enjoy the game without a good PC equipped with some fairly strong hardware.

All in all I think, despite its handicaps, that Second Life provides a great opportunity for language learners to broaden their knowledge in these virtual classrooms.

First post :)

In my first post I'd like to show you an interesting article which deals with the possibilities of using social media in the classroom:

Speaking Up in Class, Silently, Using Social Media

While social media and the internet itself poses a strong temptation for distraction, I think it also has its uses, and it helps to make our studies more convenient. Being a shy person in groups, I really liked this idea and wish more teachers would practise the method of encouraging students to speak up in class.
What are your opinions?