VWs are not just cars

Literacy journeys in VWs

Merle HearnsManukau Institute of Technology

• A virtual world is a persistent 3D graphical environment

• A MUVE is a virtual world which allows a large number of simultaneous users to interact synchronously

• Over 500 universities/technical institutions currently teach in virtual worlds, with over 350 using Second Life as their virtual world of choice

• Virtual worlds provide students with:• Rich & immersive experience• Authentic learning activities• Simulations & role plays• Complex scenario modelling• Opportunity for data visualisation• Learning through collaboration

Kay & Fitzgerald (2008)

Definition of VWs

Definition of LiteracyLiteracy is listening, speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and critical thinking, interwoven with the knowledge of social

and cultural practices. Literacy empowers people to contribute to and improve

society.Literacy Aotearoa

Literacy Needs• 1.25 million New Zealand adults are not

competently literate • 410,000 Aucklanders with low literacy &

more than 20% of all adults have no qualifications

• In South Auckland more than 800 students leave schools each year with few or no qualifications

• Manukau Institute of Technology lies in the heart of South Auckland – improving literacy levels is of prime importance

Literacy in VWs• Virtual worlds are places where students

have a motivation for using literacy in a multiplicity of different & purposeful ways

• More & more daily activities involve screen-based literacies & digital literacy is an integral part of integrated literacy

• Virtual worlds are social worlds where communication is a key element

• The sense of presence in a virtual world facilitates engagement & communication thereby enhancing verbal literacy

• The anonymity of the avatar also serves to facilitate communication

Communication Features Ryan (2008)

Virtual Worlds have Which is similar to

Real time text chatting-private Instant messaging

Real time text chatting-group Chat room

Delayed time text chatting Email

Real time voice VoIP / telephone & conference calling

Real time video stream w/ audio Video calling

Searchable networking tools Social software / Web 2.0

Note card messaging RSS / newsfeeds

Ability to create content Forum, wiki, blogs

Record activities for later access Podcasting

Uploading documents File sharing

Māori Literacy Levels• Māori are over-represented by those who are

under-achieving at school• 62% of Year 12 Māori pupils gained an NCEA

qualification compared to 72% of non-Māori• A 20% disparity between the retention rate of

16-17 year old Māori & non-Māori in the education sector

• Suggested that improving Māori literacy levels requires tino rangatiratanga, control over the creative environment, made possible in virtual worlds - a culturally relevant pedagogy

• SL residents come from more than 100 different countries - intercultural literacy made possible as avatars connect with other participants from all around the globe

Statistics quoted Nga Haeata Matauranga (Annual Report on Māori Education, 2006)

Literacy Intervention• Student group: Māori cohort of pre-degree

nurses at Manukau Institute of Technology (under the auspices of the Māori Health Provider Te Kupenga o Hoturoa)

• Aims: – To address literacy gaps: reading & writing, digital &

Māori literacy– To provide activities in an integrated way & in a

culturally relevant environment• Utilised for a portfolio assessment for the

National Certificate in Adult Literacy Education (Educator), NCALE course

• Further aim:– Develop an integrated literacy skill development

programme for Māori learners with strategies and activities matched to learner’s identified needs

The Journey• Initial diagnostic mapped against the

Learning Progressions

• Students selected:Learner A

• 40 year old Māori student - long absence from formal schooling

• bad memories of high school• clear oral expression but major problems in written

expression

Learner B• 21 year old of Māori-Samoan descent• early school leaver – did not like school• started as a repeat student but well motivated• able to express herself in writing, but with errors in

grammar

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

Comprehension

Reading Critically

Purpose & Audience

Spelling

Vocabulary

Language & Text Features

Planning & Composing

Revising & Editing

Read with Understanding

Write to Communicate

Decoding

Vocabulary

Language & Text Features

The Intervention – Part 1• First set of

activities was introduced to students as voluntary extension homework tasks

• Self-marking & designed to progress from simple to more challenging.

• Activities included:

–using punctuation–selecting correct grammatical structure–using prefixes/suffixes, tense selection –using correct sentence structure

• Brief orientation to SL• Activity location - Red Mesa sim in

SL• Three tasks:

– a structured overview using key words relating to North American Indian & Māori cultures

– a series of short answer questions, with some of the vocabulary from the first task revisited

– a writing activity completed in pairs using key ideas & subject specific vocabulary

The Intervention – Part 2 SL

Salish canoes

waka

poupou

kachina

coo stick

tokotoko

teepee

whare

iwi map

tribalmap

Answer – a winged serpent

Muscogee – Sint Holo

Cherokee – Uktena

Taniwha

The activity sheet for Task 2, gives the question & the SL location where the answer can be found:

Findings the answers to the questions generated discussion & reflection, as well as a great deal

of excitement

Students were required to read legends and SL ‘books’ to answer some of the questions aimed

at eliciting inference & critical reasoning

Great discussions ensued – on topics as diverse as:

Gatherings – from the Indian drum circle to the Māori hui

Similarities between Māori & Native American traditional

dress

How art depicts the Māori & the Native American Indian

The similarities & differences between a shaman & a

tohunga

Weaponry of the Māori & Native American Indian

Daily activities: carrying water, cooking food &

decorating the living space

Results:There were several indicators of literacy gain:– Student’s self-evaluated perceived

improvement in their own skill levels– Vocabulary levels showed notable

improvement– Students were writing more accurately in

their essay tests at the end of the semesterStudent evaluations of the literacy activities revealed a high level of satisfaction with the SL activities

Student comments indicated they saw value in learning more about a culture that in so many ways paralleled their own

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6

Comprehension

Reading Critically

Purpose & Audience

Spelling

Vocabulary

Language & Text Features

Planning & Composing

Revising & Editing

Read with Understanding

Write to Communicate

Decoding

Vocabulary

Language & Text Features

Continuing Development• At MIT, a project to build a basic literacy

game in a Virtual World is in the early stages of development

• Once the game is fully functioning, it will be possible to change it quickly and easily into a game to teach Māori language, or even numeracy

• It is proposed that the scenario created for the game be further developed so it can also be used as a tool for teaching Te Tiriti (The Treaty of Waitangi)

• Students will be able to role play as tangata whenua (people of the land – Māori) and tauiwi (others – non-Māori) in the 1830s in pre-Treaty New Zealand

Thank you for listening!