Virtual Language Village - www.digischool.nl/3d

VIRTUAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE VILLAGE

Bird's view of Chatterdale

Digischool is developing a Virtual Language Village in a 3D OpenSim environment. Over the last few years Language Villages have become an established and popular form of Language training in schools, mostly used in the 1st and 2nd years of secondary education. Usually gyms and classrooms are transformed into villages with a baker’s shop, police station, church, restaurant, etc., where students can practice their oral skills.

De Engelse virtuele kerk The Virtual Language Village will be accessible through special 3D software and after proper log in. Like ‘real’ Language Villages the virtual village will comprise a substantial number of shops and public buildings. Students will be able to use voice and/or chat to communicate with each other and with e.g. the shopkeepers. Geographical and cultural information will made available on virtual film and TV screens.

Organizing ‘real’ Language Villages always involves a great amount of time-comsuming work and can only be realized once or twice a year at most and even then it is hard to find people to staff all the ‘stations’. Our Virtual Village will be available by appointment and may be manned by teachers, former teachers, trainee teachers and native speakers from the comfort of their homes.

The Virtual Language Village should be ready to receive visitors as early as September 2010. Appointments with Teacher Training Centres are already in place.

PILOT IN CHATTERDALE SUCCESS (june 2010)
In June 2010 the first laptop classroom of RGS Slingerbos Levant (Zeewolde NL) spent several hours in Digischool's Virtual Language Village. The first day they learnt how to work with their avatars and the next day they spent three hours working on their assignments in Digischool's VLV.