The Wireless Ready conference in Nagoya and in Second Life is approaching fast (more information here). This looks set to be a fabulous event – try and see if you can join us, if not in Real Life, then maybe in Second Life!
I have now submitted the abstract for my plenary, which you can find below.
Keynote title
Do computer games really contribute to language learning?
Abstract
In recent years there has been a lot of interest in the potential role of computer games in education. Playing games is said to be motivating to students and to benefit the development of social skills such as collaboration and metacognitive skills such as planning and organisation. Also in the language classroom computer games are becoming increasingly popular. In Japan, for example, portable gaming devices such as the Nintendo DS have been used for the delivery of word games and in the UK and in Thailand several projects have developed language games for use on mobile phones. However, the pedagogical approach underlying such games is often not clear. In the case of the Japanese classes, the games were intended to develop fluency but in fact offer only simple spelling exercises with right-wrong answers. In addition to pedagogic issues, there is very little research to support the claims made for using computer games in language education. In this presentation I will first present these claims before reviewing a number of current language games. Next, I will report on an empirical research project designed to investigate the effects of a an online multiplayer gaming environment on L2 use and acquisition. I will show that computer games can indeed affect L2 interaction patterns and contribute to L2 acquisition, but that this depends, like in all other teaching and learning environments, on careful pedagogic planning of the activity.
