Education in Virtual Worlds

Escape Digiworldz

Escape in Digiworldz is a new creation of James Abrahams who owns Mi Casa in SL. The sim is so incredible because it is the modern version of Mi Casa meaning that it has more interactive tasks for students to do without teachers.I had to visit the sim many times to get an idea of all the possibilities a teacher has for teaching Spanish in the sim. First of all I love the people in the square (bots), they may look like decoration, but they are interactive and help students practice small talk, then the people sitting in the café help students review the verbs and the tenses while they sit there and enjoy the Mexican atmosphere and surroundings.

A visit to the house showed me that there needn't be people around to practice vocabulary as the walls in the various rooms are interactive too. And in the school I learned that there needn't be a teacher in order to practice pronunciation or learn new words. I found lots of exercises with voice. Later on taking a stroll I saw a pyramid with lots of Mayan hieroglyphs, I took the underground and visited a fair, took a ride on the wheel and played football afterwards in the football field next to the park where beginners can learn the shapes and colors by clicking on the flowers.

The sim has also got a church and the underground station is full of shops where students can practice all kinds of role-plays. If students are interested in culture, they can visit the exhibition of pictures in the hall, it changes many times a year according to Mexican celebrations and important historical dates.

The exhibitions can be very useful for teachers of Spanish as they may be an inspirations for lessons, theatre plays, conversation or review of historical facts.

Escape has everything a modern city can offer, so I was not surprised to find a car garage and a cemetery near the hall. I really felt like having a holiday while I was passing the tourist office and the fruits shop. The sim was made to learn and practice Spanish at any level alone or as a group with or without teachers, it is worth a visit or two and just imagine taking a group of students there to practice what they have learned, the trip there could even be a practical test! A new form of assessment for a new form of teaching. Why not talk to some colleagues and make a simulation with three groups who have to get some tasks done before they leave? Buy clothes, travel by underground, get food and drink, talk to a bank employee, get directions, sell a holiday in the Caribbean etc. Isn't it worth trying out?

The sim is still work in progress at the moment, but I can tell you that Abrahams plans for the future are exciting. He is planning to introduce games!

ESCAPE