The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

MUVE, Moodle and a microblogging tool: blending technologies to prepare international students for language and life in the UK

MUVE, Moodle and a microblogging tool: blending technologies to prepare international students for language and life in the UK
MUVE, Moodle and a microblogging tool: blending technologies to prepare international students for language and life in the UK
M3, a project blending a MUVE (Second Life) the Moodle VLE and a Microblogging tool (Twitter) , set out to explore the use of emerging technologies within the context of a pre-arrival online course for international students coming to live and study in the UK. The objective was to create an immersive learning experience for students by adapting and extending some of the Moodle course activities ( ‘learning objects’, vidcasts and discussion offered through the VLE) for use in the virtual world environment of Second Life. The project also aimed to gauge the educational potential of the microblogging service, Twitter, in linking students together during the course for both social networking and vidcast discussion purposes.

A technical aspect of the project was to develop Twitter plug-ins or ‘blocks’ for Moodle allowing students to view a Twitter feed from within Moodle. Work was also needed to adapt existing course resources and activities for in-world use in a designated course area within Second Life. The M3 project then explored the combined use of Moodle, Twitter and Second Life with three separate sets of learners/users. These were: a group of students - professional and experienced teachers from countries outside the UK - learning about the educational use of new technologies on a face-to-face Masters course at the University of Southampton; international students on a pre-arrival course delivered wholly online through Moodle, who were preparing to come to the UK ; an external group of educators and practitioners taking part in JISC Emerge conferences.

During and after user engagement in the project, data was gathered from questionnaires, interviews and observations. A number of practical factors impacted on participation levels of different groups but the affordances offered by these new technologies were widely appreciated even if the technologies themselves can still present challenges for new users unless significant levels of support are given. Their scope for enhancing social presence within a learning context was found to complement students’ interest in meeting people and sharing pictures and personal information, and reflects their own use and interest in Web 2.0 technologies. The developed Twitter blocks for Moodle and Second Life learning resources are being taken forward and future projects building on these outputs are planned. This presentation will present the M3 project and its findings. The Moodle online course and Second Life learning resources will also be demonstrated.
second life, twitter, moodle vle, international students, esl
Watson, Julie
cdb14f26-f2b9-40ac-97ac-15545c5649ae
Jeffery, Ann
cb3c817c-b6d7-4ed2-b5e2-561492f03462
Watson, Julie
cdb14f26-f2b9-40ac-97ac-15545c5649ae
Jeffery, Ann
cb3c817c-b6d7-4ed2-b5e2-561492f03462

Watson, Julie and Jeffery, Ann (2009) MUVE, Moodle and a microblogging tool: blending technologies to prepare international students for language and life in the UK. Eurocall 2009: New Trends in CALL: Working Together, Gandia, Spain. 09 - 12 Sep 2009.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)

Abstract

M3, a project blending a MUVE (Second Life) the Moodle VLE and a Microblogging tool (Twitter) , set out to explore the use of emerging technologies within the context of a pre-arrival online course for international students coming to live and study in the UK. The objective was to create an immersive learning experience for students by adapting and extending some of the Moodle course activities ( ‘learning objects’, vidcasts and discussion offered through the VLE) for use in the virtual world environment of Second Life. The project also aimed to gauge the educational potential of the microblogging service, Twitter, in linking students together during the course for both social networking and vidcast discussion purposes.

A technical aspect of the project was to develop Twitter plug-ins or ‘blocks’ for Moodle allowing students to view a Twitter feed from within Moodle. Work was also needed to adapt existing course resources and activities for in-world use in a designated course area within Second Life. The M3 project then explored the combined use of Moodle, Twitter and Second Life with three separate sets of learners/users. These were: a group of students - professional and experienced teachers from countries outside the UK - learning about the educational use of new technologies on a face-to-face Masters course at the University of Southampton; international students on a pre-arrival course delivered wholly online through Moodle, who were preparing to come to the UK ; an external group of educators and practitioners taking part in JISC Emerge conferences.

During and after user engagement in the project, data was gathered from questionnaires, interviews and observations. A number of practical factors impacted on participation levels of different groups but the affordances offered by these new technologies were widely appreciated even if the technologies themselves can still present challenges for new users unless significant levels of support are given. Their scope for enhancing social presence within a learning context was found to complement students’ interest in meeting people and sharing pictures and personal information, and reflects their own use and interest in Web 2.0 technologies. The developed Twitter blocks for Moodle and Second Life learning resources are being taken forward and future projects building on these outputs are planned. This presentation will present the M3 project and its findings. The Moodle online course and Second Life learning resources will also be demonstrated.

Text
eurocall_sl_09.pdf - Other
Download (616kB)

More information

Published date: 12 September 2009
Venue - Dates: Eurocall 2009: New Trends in CALL: Working Together, Gandia, Spain, 2009-09-09 - 2009-09-12
Keywords: second life, twitter, moodle vle, international students, esl

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 177935
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/177935
PURE UUID: d287bd7e-a71f-4bd7-81d0-2b7ad730f5cd

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 Mar 2011 09:26
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:44

Export record

Contributors

Author: Julie Watson
Author: Ann Jeffery

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×