T. L.Taylor is Professor of Comparative Media Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and cofounder and Director of Research for AnyKey, an organization dedicated to supporting and developing fair and inclusive esports. She is a qualitative sociologist who has focused on internet and game studies for over two decades, and her…

Challenged by COVID-19, we sought ways to increase engagement in the virtual classroom, capitalizing on a popular multiplayer game to teach persuasion to undergraduate students. In the game "Among Us[R]," players ("Crewmates") work together to repair their spaceship before it explodes while being attacked by other players…

This chapter discusses issues concerning the design and implementation of the research project dealing with the changes in the levels of willingness to communicate, motivation, boredom and language anxiety, their relationships and factors influencing them in the course of the participants' visits to the virtual world Second Life. [For the complete…

In order to develop pragmatic competence in a language other than our own (L2), it is important to have enough knowledge of the cultural norms of the target language and enough opportunities to interact with a wide range of speakers to deploy different speech acts, registers, levels of politeness, conversational moves, and the like. The…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an innovative approach which attempts to comprise holistic features, focusing on the meaning and at the same time providing opportunities for purposeful language use (Dalton-Puffer, 2007). Based on the triptych language of learning, language for learning and language through learning- this program…

Over the last decade, practitioners in college access and success fields have responded to a rapidly evolving digital landscape by incorporating technology into outreach and service. Researchers have responded by turning attention to technology use, digital literacy, and specific technology tools, such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and…

There is no doubt that Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and mobile mediated communication are linked as technology continues to transform the way we communicate with each other. Campbell (2019) analyzed how mobile communication evolved into portable devices to form a complete system of mobile media, reshaping the fabric of our social lives…

It has been repeatedly asserted in recent years that telecollaboration is such a powerful and effective tool for both second language acquisition (SLA) and fostering intercultural communication competence (ICC) that it should be regularly included in foreign language instruction (Çiftçi & Savas, 2018; Lewis & O'Dowd, 2016a; O'Dowd, 2016a;…

Contemporary health educators in schools are responsible for promoting the health of individual students, as well as a healthy school environment. The ongoing push for increasing device use in schools, which is underpinned by the information and communications technology (ICT) capability requirements of the new Australian Curriculum, can…

In order to understand the culture of the physical, virtual, and blended spheres that adolescents inhabit, we build on Gee's concept of affinity spaces. Drawing on our ethnographic research of adolescent literacies related to The Hunger Games novels, the Neopets online game, and The Sims videogames, this article explores the nature of…

This paper addresses both the need and benefit of using technology in our K-12 and higher education settings. It also provides suggestions and samples for application of modern technology in schools. Teachers will be challenged to advance their lessons using technology that students are already familiar with and using in their personal lives.…

Defines virtual experience as machine-based experience, of which virtual reality is a subconcept. Topics include a history of virtual experience; criticism of the influence of machine-mediated experiences such as computer games; virtual reality environments; and Heidegger's views on technology. (LRW)

Discusses the establishment of online, or virtual, communities on the World Wide Web. Topics include corporate sites; community planning; virtual reality; games; America Online projects; MUDs (multiuser dungeons) and MOOs (multiuser object oriented); and a list of contacts for online community resources. (LRW)

Explores the use of MOO (multi-user object oriented) virtual environments in academic libraries to enhance reference services. Highlights include the development of multi-user database (MUD) technology from gaming to non-recreational settings; programming issues; collaborative MOOs; MOOs as distinguished from other types of virtual reality; audio…

Shared virtual worlds are innovative applications where several users, represented by Avatars, simultaneously access via Internet a 3D space. Users cooperate through interaction with the environment and with each other, manipulating objects and chatting as they go. Apart from in the well documented online action games industry, now often played…