EUROCALL/CALICO Joint Virtual Worlds SIG

Screenshot of the joint EUROCALL/CALICO presence in Second Life.
Screenshot of the EUROCALL SL HQ. Click on the image to visit.

It is clear that there is a growing interest in virtual worlds, especially Second Life, among EUROCALL and CALICO members. There have been several presentations on virtual worlds at recent EUROCALL and CALICO conferences, and hands-on workshops both for newcomers to Second Life and for more experienced users have also taken place.

Following discussions between Graham Davies (EUROCALL), Randall Sadler (CALICO) and Thom Thibeault (CALICO) in early 2009, it was decided to approach EUROCALL and CALICO members with a proposal to create a joint EUROCALL/CALICO Virtual Worlds Special Interest Group (VW SIG) for teachers of modern foreign languages and English as a foreign language.

A meeting therefore took place at the EUROCALL 2009 conference and it was agreed that a joint EUROCALL/CALICO VW SIG should be established, managed by Graham Davies on behalf of EUROCALL and Randall Sadler on behalf of CALICO. The VW SIG is now firmly established and a Ning has been set up to facilitate communication among our members: http://virtualworldssig.ning.com

EUROCALL and CALICO now share a joint EUROCALL/CALICO Headquarters on EduNation III Island in Second Life, and Thierry Chanier (Thierry Claremont in SL) has established a Headquarters for ALSIC immediately next door.

As for the direction that the new joint Virtual Worlds SIG will take, we are completely open to suggestions. The whole of EduNation III Island is now owned by Randall Sadler, and it is envisaged that it will become a focal point for language teachers, who will be able to offer classes in a range of different languages as well as training courses for teachers in using virtual worlds. There is a central holodeck station on the island, where fully functional educational simulations can be generated and made accessible to teachers according to their needs.

If you are new to Second Life there is a wealth of information in the rapidly expanding Section 14.2.1 of Module 1.5 at the ICT4LT site (edited by Graham Davies).

VW SIG contact persons