SECOND LIFE 10/9Group 3, April and Irene

Irene and April in the Coffee HouseThere was some moderate hilarity involving trying to sit on the proper furniture. I swear we were selecting the chair, and not the table…

Adult Learners• Irene and I discovered we have very similar groups of

learners, so we were off to an excellent start. • Looking at adult learners, ESL, and career oriented adults

Islands• For all of those learners, we determined we wanted something

where everyone could be comfortable, come to learn outright, or to learn from just spending time and interacting.• We decided we would have our own island in something like Second Life• Learners could come to interact with peers and instructors• Adult learners are often anxious or ashamed at their lack of knowledge,

providing an alternate to in a classroom, in-person learning would ease that

• For ESL students in particular, it would offer a fun way to practice language

• Instructors could also utilize the island to meet with colleagues and share ideas

• We both liked the idea of roleplaying in this environment and wanted to explore that further

Considerations• Not everyone would have access to a personal computer

• Utilize our workplaces (libraries, BOCES) to provide a public use computer for learners. Could also reach out and partner with community entities

• We would need a way to make sure everyone is trained and comfortable in the necessary computer use• We discussed having a training session or a skills survey

And finally, we both managed to sit in the proper furniture.

If we could laugh and have fun fumbling our way through learning this we can definitely utilize it for a relaxed and enjoyable environment for our learners.