Vicky Morato Martínez Ceci De León Maldonado Laura Vázquez García

1.Virtual worlds 2.Mobile assisted language learning 3.Computer aided assessment and language learning.

What are virtual worlds ? According to Bell there has not been many formal definitions for Virtual Worlds. But there are three most relevant : Richard W. Bell – He defines world as part of the virtual worlds. World is an enviroment in which its inabitants regard as being self-contained (2003). Raph Koster – “A virtual is a spatially based depiction of a persistnt virtual enviroment, which can be experienced by numerous participants at once, who are represented within the space by avatars” (2004 ). Edward Castronova – He describes virtual wolrds as crafted places inside computers that are designed to accomodate large numbers of people (2004).

*For further reading look for Bell, M. (2008). Virtual world research : Past, present and future. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 1(1), 1-5

They are characterized for being similar to an online computer game. Nevertheless, 3D virtual worlds are different from them because in 3DVM there are not actually specific tasks to carry out. It is not a place to compete rather to socialize.

There are a number of virtual worlds. -Second Life -World of Warcraft -There.com -Twinity -Eve Online -Habbo Among many others.

Virtual worlds are seen as a space in which people can socialize. Nevertheless, they are also used for bussines, educational institutions for private meetings, classes and public events.

VWs offers a number of opportunities : -Virtual Field Trips : Students can decide by their own to virtually travel to other places they like. -Virtual City Tours : Acting as a tourist may trigger situations in which students needs to develop their interactive abilities by using another language. -Combining real life websites : this may propitiate to deal with real situations in which students can see how language in used in real contexts.

-SurReal quests : Interaction with others may increase students’ knowledge by speaking with others. -Presentations and meetings : business meetings, classes and lectures can happen here. They usually have text-chatting to the voice communication. Learners can practice communicative skills during a presentation. -Role Plays : students can experience different situations of different cultures in a richer mode. -Creative constructions : The situation of negotiating needs communicative abilities in this can de done by VWs.

Pros: 1- It is a great social way, users may find a common interests across the world. 2- communication and learning will be more effective, productive, and more enjoyable. 3- It enable users to interface with each other using a three dimensional environment through sight, sound, and touch. 4- It will improve some users' skills without causing any mistakes in real world. 5- It helps patients recover from strokes, phobias and other illnesses.

Cons: 1- It will decrease human interaction in the real world. 2- The cost of creating a virtual reality system is too high. 3- Training with a VR environment does not have the same results as training in the real world. 4- Programmers are still grappling with how to interact with virtual environments. 5- If the virtual environments became much higher quality, they will become attractive to those wishing to escape real life.

Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) describes an approach to language learning that is assisted or enhanced through the use of a handheld mobile device.[1][2]

MALL is a subset of both Mobile Learning (m-learning) and computer-assisted language learning (CALL). MALL has evolved to support students’ language learning with the increased use of mobile technologies such as mobile phones (cellphones), MP3 and MP4 players, PDAs and devices such as the iPhone or iPad. With MALL, students are able to access language learning materials and to communicate with their teachers and peers at any time, anywhere.

1980s: Twarog and Pereszlenyi Pinter used telephones to provide distant language learners with feedback and assistance. 1990s: Instructors at Brigham Young University-Hawaii taught a distance education English course from Hawaii to Tonga via telephone and computer (Green, Collier, & Evans, 2001)

2000s: Dickey (2001) utilized teleconferencing to teach an English conversation course to students in South Korea. Stanford University learning lab used integrated mobile phones in a Spanish learning program in 2001 (Brown, 2001). Thornton and Houser (2002; 2003; 2005) developed several innovative projects using mobile phones to teach English at a Japanese university. They also developed a course management system, Poodle, to facilitate deploying language learning material to mobile phones.

City College Southampton developed a web based "media board" (similar to a web-board but supporting Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) as well as Short Message Service (SMS) and supplied learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) with mobile phones with inbuilt cameras and voice recording facilities (JISC, 2005). University of Wisconsin– Madison, developed several foreign language courses which have used wireless handheld computers for various classroom activities (Samuels, 2003).

Enhancing language learning through MALL affords some dynamics not available through the traditional classroom that the language learner can take advantage of. Some of these affordances are even unique to m- learning compared to regular e- learning. In the same way, there are some disadvantages to m-learning that limit what can be done in language acquisition through m- learning compared to traditional e- learning or classroom learning.

Among the most noted affordances for MALL, compared to classroom or e-learning, the user does not need to be sitting in a classroom or at a computer to access learning materials. This enables users to brush up on language skills just before or just after a conversation in the language they are learning. Handheld delivery also affords new dynamics for collaborative learning as users can share the language learning process in small synchronous groups (Nah, et al. 2008).

Kloper et al. (2002) claimed 5 properties of mobile devices which can produce unique educational affordances: Portability- the small size and weight of mobile devices means they can be taken to different sites or moved around within a site. Social interactivity- data exchange and collaboration with other learners can happen face-to-face.

Context sensitivity- mobile devices can both gather and respond to real or simulated data unique to the current location, environment and time. Connectivity- a shared network can be created by connecting mobile devices to data collection devices, other devices or to a common network. Individuality- scaffolding for difficult activities can be customized for individual learners. The most notable constraints for earlier MALL include poor sound and display quality coupled with very limited devices and download speeds. Newer integrated PDA devices have narrowed the gap with higher access speeds, larger screens, having functions and capacities similar to laptop computers (Nah, et al. 2008).

What do we mean by Computer Aided Assessment? Computer Aided Assessment (CAA) covers a range of assessment procedures and is a rapidly developing area as new technologies are harnessed. In essence, CAA refers to any instance in which some aspect of computer technology is deployed as part of the assessment process.

CAA is more than just a list of possible applications, however. Its importance is intimately bound up with raising achievement, since it can be argued that the role of ICT in raising achievement cannot be fully measured unless ICT is also used in the assessment process.

Just as oral skills cannot easily be assessed by a written test, so there are ICT-specific language skills that cannot easily be assessed through pencil and paper exercises and tests. Consider the following examples: reading and replying to an from an exchange partner planning a journey using a Web browser writing an essay using a word- processor

SkillAssessment by computerAssessment of electronic output by human being ListeningComputer can assess a limited range of different types of responses to test comprehension. Listening tests can be presented on a computer, students' answers can be stored electronically and assessed by a teacher. Self-assessment and peer assessment are also possible. SpeakingVery limited as yet. Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) software is developing rapidly but it is still too unreliable to be used in accurate testing. Students can record their own voices on a computer for assessment by a teacher. Self- assessment and peer assessment are also possible. ReadingComputer can assess a limited range of different types of responses to test comprehension. Reading tests can be presented on a computer, students' answers can be stored electronically and assessed by a teacher. Self-assessment and peer assessment are also possible. WritingVery limited as yet, but spellchecking, grammar checking and style checking are possible, and some progress is being made in the development of programs that can assess continuous text. Students' answers can be stored electronically and assessed by a teacher. Self-assessment and peer assessment are also possible.