Insider Spaces
Hands-on with XR in the Global Languages & Cultures Room
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.41528Keywords:
Makerspace, Maker, virtual reality, pedagogy, XR, augmented reality, constructivism, language, culture, learning, higher education, technology enhanced learning, blended learning, immersive technologies, technologyAbstract
Adult learners benefit from a playful approach to learning (Whitton, 2018). Similarly, students experiencing immersive learning using virtual reality headsets can benefit from a playful and exploratory approach to language and culture learning (Arnold, 1979), which includes the opportunity to experiment and create content using accessible, code-free, and easy-to-adopt media and Maker techniques. This article proposes that this kind of content creation projects for students can result in an increased understanding and appreciation of the affordances of immersive technologies, especially when applied to cultural learning and second language acquisition.
In these projects, students produce outcomes by learning to work together, use tools, develop skills, and reflect on their place within the work, as artistmakers, as language learners, and as creators of culture. Learners are encouraged to reflect on their process of Making, and in doing so broaden that reflection to encompass ideas around culture and language, the essence of their creative process coming from conceptual inquiry as much as from the practical Making. We propose ways to adopt immersive technologies and use a dedicated Maker and creator space to facilitate effective innovative language and culture pedagogy— one that might better support learning through creative exploration.
References
Anderson, L. W., Bloom, B. S., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (abridged ed.). New York, NY: Longman.
Arnold, R. A. (1979). The function of language games in the classroom. ELT Journal, 23(3), 205–207. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/XXXIII.3.205
Behizadeh, N. (2014). Enacting problem-posing education through project-based learning. English Journal, 10(4), 99–104.
Campbell, C., & Jane., B. (2010). Enhancing creativity through design technology: Opportunities for developing children’s creative thinking. In A. M. Corrigan (Ed.), Creativity: Fostering, measuring, and contexts (pp. 81–94). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Carnegie Mellon University. Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship: Makerspaces at Carnegie Mellon. Retrieved 26 May 2020 from http://www.cmu.edu/swartz-center-for-entrepreneurship/education-and-resources/makerspaces/index.html
Carrió-Pastor, M. L. (Ed.) (2019). Teaching language and teaching literature in virtual environment. Singapore: Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1358-5
Chau, M., Wong, A., Wang., M., Lai, S., Chan, K. W. Y., Li, T. M. H., Chu, D., Chan, I. K. W., & Sung, W. K. (2013). Using 3D virtual environments to facilitate students in constructivist learning. Decision Support Systems, 56, 115–121. Retrieved 1 November 2020 from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2013.05.009
Cross, N. (2006). Designerly ways of knowing. In N. Cross (Ed.), Designerly ways of knowing (pp. 1–13). London: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-84628-301-9_1
Dubreil, S., & Thorne, S. L. (2017). Social pedagogies and entwining language with the world. In S. Dubreil & S. L. Thorne (Eds.), Engaging the World: Social Pedagogies and Language Learning (pp. 1–11). Boston, MA.: Cengage.
Entis, L. (2015). Seth Godin: “The person who fails the most wins.” Entrepreneur. Retrieved 1 November 2020 from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251298
Fineman, N., & Jaffe, L. (Producers) (2017). Crossing cultures: Black K-pop fans in America (video file). New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2020 from https://youtu.be/zvgLUItrSVI
Gasta, C. M. (2018). More American students are studying abroad, new data shows. Retrieved 30 September 2020 from https://theconversation.com/more-american-students-arestudying-abroad-new-data-show-106678
Greenwold, S. (2003). Spatial computing. MIT graduate thesis. Retrieved 22 December 2019 from https://acg.media.mit.edu/people/simong/thesis/SpatialComputing.pdf
Hafner, C. A. (2015). Remix culture and English language teaching: The expression of learner voice in digital multimodal compositions. TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, 49(3), 486–509. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.238
Hashimura, S., Hiromitsu S., & Yusuke K. (2018). Automatic assessment of student understanding level using virtual reality. In M. Ganzha, L. Maciaszek, & M. Paprzycki (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2018 federated conference on computer science and information systems. ACSIS, vol. 15 (pp. 39–45). https://doi.org/10.15439/2018F268
Hern, A. (2018). Tech suffers from lack of humanities, says Mozilla head. Guardian, 12 October. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/12/tech-humanitiesmisinformation-philosophy-psychology-graduates-mozilla-head-mitchell-baker
Institute of International Education (2020). U.S. Study Abroad for Academic Credit Trends, 1989/90–2018/19. Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. Retrieved from http://www.opendoorsdata.org
Koh, J. H. L., Chai, C. S., Wong, B., & Hong, H.-Y. (2015). Design thinking and children. In J. H. Koh, C. S. Chai, B. Wong, & H.-Y. Hong (Eds.), Design Thinking for Education: Conceptions and Applications in Teaching and Learning (pp. 47–66). Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-444-3_4
Kramsch, C. (2006). From communicative competence to symbolic competence. Modern Language Journal, 90(2), 249–252. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2006.00395_3.x
Kronenberg, F. (2017) From language lab to language center and beyond: The past, present, and future of language learning center design. Alsic, 20(3). https://doi.org/10.4000/alsic.3172
Lin, T.-J., & Lan, Y.-J. (2015). Language learning in virtual reality environments: Past, present, and future. Educational Technology & Society, 18(4), 486–497.
Lee, H.-G., Chung, S., & Lee, W.-H. (2012). Presence in virtual golf simulators: The effects of presence on perceived enjoyment, perceived value, and behavioral intention. New Media & Society, 15(6), 930–946. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444812464033
Leeman, J., & Modan, G. (2009). Commodified language in Chinatown: A contextualized approach to linguistic landscape. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 13(3), 332–362. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9841.2009.00409.x
Malinowski, D., Maxim, H., & Dubreil, S. (2020). Language teaching in the linguistic landscape: Mobilizing pedagogy in public space. Springer Educational Linguistics Series, vol. 49. New York, NY: Springer Publishing.
Massey, A. (2005). Developing creativity for the world of work: A case study. Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 4(1), 17–30. https://doi.org/10.1386/adch.4.1.17/1
Milgram, P., Takemura, H., Utsumi, A., & Kishino, F. (1994). Augmented reality: A class of displays on the reality-virtuality continuum. Proceedings of SPIE, vol. 2351: Telemanipulator and Telepresence Technologies. Retrieved 1 November 2020 from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_Milgram/publication/228537162_Augmented_reality_A_class_of_displays_on_the_reality-virtuality_continuum/links/0c96052ade63de29c0000000/Augmented-reality-A-class-of-displays-on-the-reality-virtuality-continuum.pdf
Mills, N., Courtney, M., Dede, C., Dressen, A., & Gant, R. (in press). Culture and vision in virtual reality narratives. Foreign Language Annals.
Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological Science, 25(6), 1159–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581
National Standards Collaborative Board (2015). World-readiness standards for learning languages (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: ACTFL.
New London Group (1996). A pedagogy or multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60–93. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.66.1.17370n67v22j160u
Pellegrino, J. W., Hilton, M. L., & National Research Council (US) (2012). Education for life and work: Developing transferable knowledge and skills in the 21st century. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.
Pfaffe, L., & Annunziato, A. J. (2017). Using the SAMR model as a framework for evaluating mLearning activities and supporting a transformation of learning. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Piaget, J. (2006). The mechanisms of perception. New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203715758
Puentedura, R. R. (2015). SAMR: A brief introduction. Conference paper delivered at the Eanes ISD Digital Learning Symposium. Retrieved 1 November 2020 from Culture and Vision in Virtual Reality Narratives.
Ramchandani, J. (2019). What is “transdisciplinary”? Medium. Retrieved 1 November 2020 from https://medium.com/we-learn-we-grow/what-is-transdisciplinary13c16eacf57d
Riva, G. (2007). From virtual to the real body: Virtual reality as embodied technology. Journal of CyberTherapy and Rehabilitation, 1(1), 7.
Scrivner, O., Madewell, J., Buckley, C., & Perez, N. (2019). Best practices in the use of augmented and virtual reality technologies for SLA: Design, implementation, and feedback. In M. Carrió-Pastor (Ed.), Teaching language and teaching literature in virtual environments. Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1358-5_4
Schwienhorst, K. (2002). The state of VR: A meta-analysis of virtual reality tools in second language acquisition. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 15(3), 221–239. https://doi.org/10.1076/call.15.3.221.8186
Shastri, V. (Producer) (2017). Artist at work: Carving woodblock prints in Brazil (video file). New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2020 from https://youtu.be/WGkHhorhg5o
Whitton, N. (2018). Playful learning: Tools, techniques, and tactics. Research in Learning Technology, 26, 2035. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v26.2035
