Module+2--Introducing+the+avatar+to+the+class

Activity:
In this simple activity, each student introduces his/her avatar to the class. The instructor should log in to SL and project the virtual world to the class. Even though the main focus is on the projection in front of the class from the instructor's monitory, you do need a lab for this activity as each student must log on and make his/her avatar walk to the front of the group inworld when it is his/her turn to speak.

You can adapt this activity to a variety of levels. For level one, I had the students form simple sentences with BE-verbs plus nouns and adjectives, has/have. For example, //My avatar has brown hair. She is tall. Her shoes are green.// For higher levels, such as level 4 grammar (EAP94), the activity could be used as an introduction activity early on in the quarter where the students introduce their avatar and then themselves. Or, in an upper-level grammar or reading/writing class, the students could compare their avatar with their RealLife persona and practice comparison/contrast structures. There are many ways to adapt this activity to your class outcomes.

How it meets the EAP 91 course outcomes:
This activity emphasizes questions and answers using simple and present progressive verb tenses. It also stresses simple statements with BE and HAVE + adjective or noun. Students give a presentation on their first experience in SecondLife, describing their avatar, their environment, and what they see.

Notes for Teachers
If the teacher wishes and the class is ready, it can be done as a dialogue in which one partner asks the questions and the other partner answers the questions in front of the class. Students can memorize assigned questions and also supply their own questions. This exercise is meant to reinforce the syntax of information and yes-no questions through more controlled practice. Students may improvise their own questions if they feel comfortable or may choose to use just those questions assigned by the teacher. It allows people to do the same presentation at different levels of fluency, comfort, and ability.