[MD] RPG's, AI's, Gaming and "Virtuality"

[Michael Hamilton]

Arlo,

> Our professor is using it in a class of future language instructors
> and applied linguists to give them experience with the tool in seeing
> first hand how identity construction, computer-mediated textual
> dialogue, virtuality and cultures-of-use can be used to leverage
> language acquisition. There are ramifications also with both distance
> education and the erosion of classroom "boundaries" (symbolically and
> temporally).

I'm not sure I got all of that! What does it mean to "leverage"
language acquisition? Is it anything like "to help" or "assist"? It
makes me uneasy when I hear Dilbertesque language in academia (not to
mention the way it's creeping into government-speak too). Obviously
some specialist terminology is necessary, but "to leverage" just looks
like an unnecessarily obscure phrasing, and a grammatically suspect
one at that.

> I have seen land and money "for sale" in the "real" world. Even
> exchange rates have come out of this. Fascinating.

Agreed!

Mike

> At 11:43 AM 1/23/2007, you wrote:
> >Arlo,
> >
> >Hadn't heard of Second Life before. It's interesting to see MMORPGs
> >going mainstream. It's getting column inches in stodgy conservative
> >newspapers here in England. A friend of a friend is doing an
> >anthropology field study relating to MMORPG behaviour. And now there's
> >Second Life, using the MMORPG format and sanitising it of the elves
> >and dragons (and maybe, the excitement) of World of Warcraft etc. The
> >possibilities are astounding, and in some cases a little worrying,
> >especially seeing how there seems to be no insulation between the
> >fantasy economy and the real (or better-established fastasy) economy.
> >Money-laundering, anyone? Those virtual islands look like a nice
> >investment...
> >
> >Anyway, I was wondering how this professor is using Second Life with
> >his course. Will the students gather in a virtual lecture theatre?
> >
> >Mike
>
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