International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 2014
As Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has taken an important role in foreign language tea... more As Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has taken an important role in foreign language teaching and learning, not only is concrete data about the usefulness of technology- mediated environments for these purposes necessary, but also how the learning process is improved in such environments when learner training for CALL. The objective of this paper is to present an investigation which sought to explore empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of a blended learning model, and also the use of language learning strategies in this kind of learning environment in order to increase its methodological potency with language learners. Consequently, this paper shows the findings of 2 experimental studies which aimed to provide data on (1) the efficiency of a blended learning (BL) model for language teaching and learning which combined task-based instruction, cooperative learning and optimal methodological principles for online learning (Doughty & Long, 2003), and (2) the use of l...
Virtual worlds (VWs) continue to be used extensively in Australia and New Zealand higher educatio... more Virtual worlds (VWs) continue to be used extensively in Australia and New Zealand higher education institutions although the tendency towards making unrealistic claims of efficacy and popularity appears to be over. Some educators at higher education institutions continue to use VWs in the same way as they have done in the past; others are exploring a range of different VWs or using them in new ways; whilst some are opting out altogether. This paper presents an overview of how 46 educators from some 26 institutions see VWs as an opportunity to sustain higher education. The positives and negatives of using VWs are discussed.
Electric Dreams. Proceedings ascilite 2013 Sydney . , Dec 4, 2013
3D virtual reality, including the current generation of multi-user virtual worlds, has had a long... more 3D virtual reality, including the current generation of multi-user virtual worlds, has had a long history of use in education and training, and it experienced a surge of renewed interest with the advent of Second Life in 2003. What followed shortly after were several years marked by considerable hype around the use of virtual worlds for teaching, learning and research in higher education. For the moment, uptake of the technology seems to have plateaued, with academics either maintaining the status quo and continuing to use virtual worlds as they have previously done or choosing to opt out altogether. This paper presents a brief review of the use of virtual worlds in the Australian and New Zealand higher education sector in the past and reports on its use in the sector at the present time, based on input from members of the Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group. It then adopts a forward-looking perspective amid the current climate of uncertainty, musing on future directions and offering suggestions for potential new applications in light of recent technological developments and innovations in the area.
As we race through the 21st century, the demand to make education globally accessible and always ... more As we race through the 21st century, the demand to make education globally accessible and always available is increasing exponentially. This demand for increased accessibility exacerbates the deficiencies already experienced in higher education with educational resources being stretched by increasing numbers of students, fewer staff and less support. Given traditional delivery models, under these circumstances the provision of quality education is unsustainable (Gregory & Gregory, 2011). The pressures on staff are enormous and the workplaces that our graduates are likely to enter are becoming more complex with increasing reliance on advanced technologies and associated processes. Finding new ways for students to engage with and link to a learning community is crucial. As the fidelity of 3D virtual worlds (VWs) increases and more students opt to learn online, VWs are increasingly providing rich experiences for learners as places where students and staff can interact with each other and the wider community (Brenner, 2009). The social immersion engendered by a sense of community provides the potential to reduce dropout rates so that more students will persevere with their studies (Karsenti & Collin, 2012). Access to learning that may be too costly or too dangerous in the physical world can be made possible through VWs (Thackray, Good and Howland, 2010; Savin-Baden, 2011). VWs enable activities that make life and learning meaningful, such as getting together, sharing information, collaborating and celebrating (Gregory & Tynan, 2009). Herewith, members of the Australian and New Zealand (NZ) Virtual Worlds Working Group (VWWG) demonstrate how VWs can be used to sustain the future of education.
Gregory, S., Gregory, B., Hillier, M., Jacka, L., Schutt, S., Ellis, D., Stokes-Thompson, F., Wood, D., Masters, Y., Farley, F., Orwin, L., Stupans, I., Scutter, S., Warren, I., Steel, C., Neuendorf, P., Bower, M., Miller, C., Mathews, S., Butler, D., Hearns, M., Garcia, J., Jegathesan, J.J., Brown, R., Meredith, G., Muir-Cochran, E., Flintoff, K., Grant, S., Atkins, C., Gaukrodger, B., Giovanangeli, A., Le Rossignol, K., Larson, I., Cram, A., Linegar, D., Wang, X., Muir, T., Cleland, B., Paillat, E., Grenfell, J., Hay, L., Gu, N., Anthony Williams, A., Simoff, S., Bogdanovych, A. & McCarthy, A. (2012). Sustaining the future through virtual worlds. In M. Brown, M. Hartnett & T. Stewart (Eds.), Future Challenges – Sustainable Futures. Proceedings ascilite Wellington 2012 (pp. 361-368). Wellington, New Zealand: Massey University and ascilite. http://www.ascilite2012.org/images/custom/gregory,_sue_-_sustaining.pdf
International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 2014
As Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has taken an important role in foreign language tea... more As Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has taken an important role in foreign language teaching and learning, not only is concrete data about the usefulness of technology- mediated environments for these purposes necessary, but also how the learning process is improved in such environments when learner training for CALL. The objective of this paper is to present an investigation which sought to explore empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of a blended learning model, and also the use of language learning strategies in this kind of learning environment in order to increase its methodological potency with language learners. Consequently, this paper shows the findings of 2 experimental studies which aimed to provide data on (1) the efficiency of a blended learning (BL) model for language teaching and learning which combined task-based instruction, cooperative learning and optimal methodological principles for online learning (Doughty & Long, 2003), and (2) the use of l...
Virtual worlds (VWs) continue to be used extensively in Australia and New Zealand higher educatio... more Virtual worlds (VWs) continue to be used extensively in Australia and New Zealand higher education institutions although the tendency towards making unrealistic claims of efficacy and popularity appears to be over. Some educators at higher education institutions continue to use VWs in the same way as they have done in the past; others are exploring a range of different VWs or using them in new ways; whilst some are opting out altogether. This paper presents an overview of how 46 educators from some 26 institutions see VWs as an opportunity to sustain higher education. The positives and negatives of using VWs are discussed.
Electric Dreams. Proceedings ascilite 2013 Sydney . , Dec 4, 2013
3D virtual reality, including the current generation of multi-user virtual worlds, has had a long... more 3D virtual reality, including the current generation of multi-user virtual worlds, has had a long history of use in education and training, and it experienced a surge of renewed interest with the advent of Second Life in 2003. What followed shortly after were several years marked by considerable hype around the use of virtual worlds for teaching, learning and research in higher education. For the moment, uptake of the technology seems to have plateaued, with academics either maintaining the status quo and continuing to use virtual worlds as they have previously done or choosing to opt out altogether. This paper presents a brief review of the use of virtual worlds in the Australian and New Zealand higher education sector in the past and reports on its use in the sector at the present time, based on input from members of the Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group. It then adopts a forward-looking perspective amid the current climate of uncertainty, musing on future directions and offering suggestions for potential new applications in light of recent technological developments and innovations in the area.
As we race through the 21st century, the demand to make education globally accessible and always ... more As we race through the 21st century, the demand to make education globally accessible and always available is increasing exponentially. This demand for increased accessibility exacerbates the deficiencies already experienced in higher education with educational resources being stretched by increasing numbers of students, fewer staff and less support. Given traditional delivery models, under these circumstances the provision of quality education is unsustainable (Gregory & Gregory, 2011). The pressures on staff are enormous and the workplaces that our graduates are likely to enter are becoming more complex with increasing reliance on advanced technologies and associated processes. Finding new ways for students to engage with and link to a learning community is crucial. As the fidelity of 3D virtual worlds (VWs) increases and more students opt to learn online, VWs are increasingly providing rich experiences for learners as places where students and staff can interact with each other and the wider community (Brenner, 2009). The social immersion engendered by a sense of community provides the potential to reduce dropout rates so that more students will persevere with their studies (Karsenti & Collin, 2012). Access to learning that may be too costly or too dangerous in the physical world can be made possible through VWs (Thackray, Good and Howland, 2010; Savin-Baden, 2011). VWs enable activities that make life and learning meaningful, such as getting together, sharing information, collaborating and celebrating (Gregory & Tynan, 2009). Herewith, members of the Australian and New Zealand (NZ) Virtual Worlds Working Group (VWWG) demonstrate how VWs can be used to sustain the future of education.
Gregory, S., Gregory, B., Hillier, M., Jacka, L., Schutt, S., Ellis, D., Stokes-Thompson, F., Wood, D., Masters, Y., Farley, F., Orwin, L., Stupans, I., Scutter, S., Warren, I., Steel, C., Neuendorf, P., Bower, M., Miller, C., Mathews, S., Butler, D., Hearns, M., Garcia, J., Jegathesan, J.J., Brown, R., Meredith, G., Muir-Cochran, E., Flintoff, K., Grant, S., Atkins, C., Gaukrodger, B., Giovanangeli, A., Le Rossignol, K., Larson, I., Cram, A., Linegar, D., Wang, X., Muir, T., Cleland, B., Paillat, E., Grenfell, J., Hay, L., Gu, N., Anthony Williams, A., Simoff, S., Bogdanovych, A. & McCarthy, A. (2012). Sustaining the future through virtual worlds. In M. Brown, M. Hartnett & T. Stewart (Eds.), Future Challenges – Sustainable Futures. Proceedings ascilite Wellington 2012 (pp. 361-368). Wellington, New Zealand: Massey University and ascilite. http://www.ascilite2012.org/images/custom/gregory,_sue_-_sustaining.pdf
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Gregory, S., Gregory, B., Hillier, M., Jacka, L., Schutt, S., Ellis, D., Stokes-Thompson, F., Wood, D., Masters, Y., Farley, F., Orwin, L., Stupans, I., Scutter, S., Warren, I., Steel, C., Neuendorf, P., Bower, M., Miller, C., Mathews, S., Butler, D., Hearns, M., Garcia, J., Jegathesan, J.J., Brown, R., Meredith, G., Muir-Cochran, E., Flintoff, K., Grant, S., Atkins, C., Gaukrodger, B., Giovanangeli, A., Le Rossignol, K., Larson, I., Cram, A., Linegar, D., Wang, X., Muir, T., Cleland, B., Paillat, E., Grenfell, J., Hay, L., Gu, N., Anthony Williams, A., Simoff, S., Bogdanovych, A. & McCarthy, A. (2012). Sustaining the future through virtual worlds. In M. Brown, M. Hartnett & T. Stewart (Eds.), Future Challenges – Sustainable Futures. Proceedings ascilite Wellington 2012 (pp. 361-368). Wellington, New Zealand: Massey University and ascilite. http://www.ascilite2012.org/images/custom/gregory,_sue_-_sustaining.pdf
Gregory, S., Gregory, B., Hillier, M., Jacka, L., Schutt, S., Ellis, D., Stokes-Thompson, F., Wood, D., Masters, Y., Farley, F., Orwin, L., Stupans, I., Scutter, S., Warren, I., Steel, C., Neuendorf, P., Bower, M., Miller, C., Mathews, S., Butler, D., Hearns, M., Garcia, J., Jegathesan, J.J., Brown, R., Meredith, G., Muir-Cochran, E., Flintoff, K., Grant, S., Atkins, C., Gaukrodger, B., Giovanangeli, A., Le Rossignol, K., Larson, I., Cram, A., Linegar, D., Wang, X., Muir, T., Cleland, B., Paillat, E., Grenfell, J., Hay, L., Gu, N., Anthony Williams, A., Simoff, S., Bogdanovych, A. & McCarthy, A. (2012). Sustaining the future through virtual worlds. In M. Brown, M. Hartnett & T. Stewart (Eds.), Future Challenges – Sustainable Futures. Proceedings ascilite Wellington 2012 (pp. 361-368). Wellington, New Zealand: Massey University and ascilite. http://www.ascilite2012.org/images/custom/gregory,_sue_-_sustaining.pdf