Why (not) "Second Life"?

First of all, I had never heard of SL before. It was from the readings that I first came into contact with this subject. SL was presented as a visionary program, which could be helpful in the classroom. However, after the hands-on activities, I started to perceive its potential pros and cos.

I believe that, despite the fact the language learning in 3D virtual worlds is still a baby at its early stages of development, SL is for me quite interesting and can, by and large, benefit the education field. After this first experience, to some extend do I find SL suitable for being implemented in our classrooms. Thus far there might be more cons than pros, since this tool is pretty new. Nevertheless, I wonder, "shouldn’t we help and contribute this just born device to take the most advantage of it?"

I believe that SL could bring plenty of benefits provided that we implement it in the proper way. To take an obvious example, after the readings (e.g., Stevens, 2006), I have perceived the impression that the point could go further my expectations, since I would never believe that SL "might be seen as a prototype for some future form of learning", as Stevens points out. I still trust the zealous dedication we, as teachers, deposit in our classrooms, so that our students may arise interest and awareness in a foreign language. By interacting with SL I do not think learners could become proficient in a foreign language. However, I do believe that SL, provided that it is used appositely, could generate interest from students, as well as, by a simulation of real life environments, could allow learners to discover more creative and more realistic ways to improve certain linguistic skills. Moreover, as Vickers points out, SL is appropriate for younger learners of foreign languages, since they regard the Internet as a natural place to learn and play.

Another point I would make allusion to is that, since "languages are all about verbal communication", as Vickers says, we, as teachers, would make sure that our "students are talking and listening within our 3D virtual classrooms". Sociocultural awareness could be raised by visiting trustful islands. For instance, in my first visit to SL I went to Madrid, Spain (rather than accompanying where my folks were going - I still trusted they would not get lost on their own), mainly because I personally wanted to test how much one could trust this tool, as well as which benefits one could obtain. I attended a party in "La Puerta del Sol", in Madrid, Spain, and interacted with some people. I pretended to be a college Spanish student who wanted to learn about the city, the country, etc. At least, the people I bumped into helped me further understand some aspects of a "strange" culture for me. I can remember that I talked about 4 stereotypes we, "students", receive in our classrooms, such as "small glasses for beers", "the concept of the siesta", "not being punctual" and "being aggressive people". My SL "friends" laughed at me and gave me "true" information about how to contradict these so-called stereotypes. They even offered themselves to talk to me with the micro –something I could not have done under any circumstance, for obvious reasons. However, I also attended another party in "Las Ramblas", in Barcelona, Spain, and the input was totally different. The people there behaved in a very special way and scarcely helped me or interacted with me. I assumed that those interactions would not be beneficial at all for my students, especially because the conversations went beyond my expectations.

Be that as it may, I prefered to explore SL and its sociocultural shocks on my own, rather than simply play or talk with people I already knew. Who said that we, as educators, complain when we learn that "micro-gangs" when abroad, for instance, are gathered in "micro-cosmos"? Have we never read or heard those comments about how much experience students in a full immersion context (e.g., abroad) gain when they get together to go for a coffee at Starbucks or for a hamburguer at McDonald's?


Taking this into consideration, I would still think that SL could be implemented in our classroom, at least, if properly, as a tool our students could practice even during their spare time. I believe this would be much more enriching and entertaining rather than, for instance, spending long hours and copying with their electronic workbook.

If I introduced SL in my classrooms, needless to say, I would ensure that the island we would go is that I trust, that I have already experienced. All in all, I would opt for inviting my students explore places such as "El Instituto Cervantes", mainly because, after my visit, I find it suitable. For further details about this, click here. Although I bet that many of my colleagues may have their own reservations about the benefits of SL in the classroom, I still have the hope that experts in SLA and CALL are doing a laudable task to teach us how to implement it propitiously.