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The European Union, through the LifeLong Learning program has granted DOT and 5 other European partners an aid of 300,000 euros for a project whose total budget is over 400,000 euros.

The project, which lasts until late 2010, will develop a virtual world designed for language learning in Open Sim and a specific methodology for language learning in virtual worlds.

V-lang will test the application and methodology with 40 groups in 3 European countries. The testing will take place in English, Spanish and German.

This DOT led project has come forward thanks to the engagement and support of Iniciativas Innovadoras (Navarra) along with four other European partners:

• Research Academic Computer Technology Institute, Patras, Greece
• Warsaw Academy of Computer Science, Management and Administration Warsaw, Poland
• Soros International House de Vilnius. Lithuania
• DIALOGE SPRACHINSTITUT Lindau, Germany

On 15 and March 16, 2010 we will have the first non-virtual meeting of all partners in Pamplona.(Spain).

Compártelo

On March 8^th we met in Mendoza (Argentina) the Ambassador of India R . Viswanathan to submit our proposals for collaboration for V-language.

V-LANGUAGE is a v-learning English Course that we are developing in Dot. We will comment on it later on.

Some facts: according to the British Council, between 2000 and 2010 students studying English in the world will move from 1000 to 2000 million, due mainly to the Chinese market (250 million students of English in 2008, 20 million more each year). Hundreds of thousands of teachers of English are needed in the world (only China needs 1 million new teachers right now). Moreover, India is the second country in the world of English speakers (90 million), behind the United States (250 million).

Thanks to Raul Carrizo, president of FUMPADES (World Foundation for Social Development), who was with his wife Alejandra, the DOT people (Eduardo Valencia, Javier Selva, Mauricio and Karina Magni and Rodolfo Giro) had the opportunity to have a full day of meeting with the ambassador, his wife Kasthuri, and their children Vijay and Raja. The meeting culminated in a visit to the wineries of Mendoza La Rural. Finally ate the typical Argentinian asado in the traditional wineries Salentein.

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OpenSim to buid a Parliament

After signing the contract with the Parliament of Navarre, DOT has initiated the construction of the Virtual Parliament of Navarre. This project is framed within a broader construction of a virtual classroom in which students will find various materials for insight into the Parliament of Navarre (news, videos and the Virtual Parliament itself). 

Building the Virtual Parliament of Navarre

These are the main features of the project: 

1.-Create a configured server with Open Sim.

This is a project in which the coexistence of teenagers and adults will happen pretty oftehn and therefore the security and privacy needs are of the highest importance. 

In addition to that, an entity such as the Parliament of Navarre also called for guarantees of security and development in a server. Thus development in Open Sim facilitated the work that was unlikely to be developed in Second Life. 

Moreover DOT is developing new tools and applications in Open Sim, which is making this company a benchmark in the field of virtual worlds. 

OpenSim can be installed on any server server, which offers privacy and scalability of the solution. Its open and modular nature provides flexibility to adapt to new requirements

Building the Virtual Parliament of Navarre

2 .- Recreation spaces 

We are recreatin the main venues of the Parliament. Those who are actually visited by the students when they come to know the facilities. 

Exterior Building 

Advances in the reconstruction of the exterior of the Parliament of Navarre

Entrance and atrium space

Hall

Chamber of Deputies

Top view Chamber of Deputies

Hall: Equipped with a presenter, where students may receive explanations 

Construction of multipurpose hall

3.-Creation the custom avatar of the President of the parliament.

This avatar is also the protagonist of a video that will be the main features of the project. 

All this in two languages, Castilian and Basque, to visit that are guaranteed their educational success.

5.-Development of a customized edition of the connection software (client open sim), configured to connect to the virtual and downloadable from the website of the parliament.

6.-Making of a virtual QUEST application, for students to implement what they learned. 

Our virtual QUEST application is  to some extent similar to a WebQuest, but it would be developed in the virtual parliament. Our virtual Quest will allow an overview of the contents of the teaching unit. 

Students must move through the virtual spaces of the Parliament of Navarre to solve and respond to the challenges proposed in the quest. 

There are two different levels of difficulty in the quest.

Virtual Parliament of Navarre

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From 3 to February 5, the LERANTEC-2009 fair took place in Karlsruhe (Germany).  LERANTEC is an international venue for experts in  e-learning and knowledge management. Among more than 200 vendors who gathered there, we (Eduardo Valencia and Javier Selva, joined Volker Gässler of VCOMM.

At the booth for the presentation of the DOT CLASSROOM. 

LERANTEC-2009 is a major appointment for the experts in e-learning and knowledge management, as well as the most important of this kind in Germany. Learntec is the right place for the presentation of the latest products, applications and services in this sector, accompanied by conferences and other special events and forums. 

DOT did not want to miss the meeting to present DOT Classroom and accompanied VCOMM at the F6.1 booth of the fair. 

The benefits of DOT CLASSROOM

DOT Classroom  focuses on several key factors: virtual reality, feeling of immersion, cooperation and cost saving.

DOT classroom is a virtual environment that allows companies to facilitate communication between individuals and groups located in different places. Avatars and environments are similar to the real ones, which allows to hold training sessions in an immersive way, while helping them overcome the obstacle distance. 

The effect of virtual reality is that the user receives the impression of actually being emotionally close to others in the same environment. Furthermore, the virtual learning becomes more relaxed and the participants end up feeling a lot less tired than when using a web conference or videoconference. 

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Most people who learn English around the world have very few opportunities to practice with native speakers. 

Most times, learning English is about language immersion: a longer or shorter stay in London, San Francisco or Dublin. 

It is very significant that in order to save time and money, a number of English students in Spain travel to the “British Towns” of Aldeaduero (Salamanca), Valdelavilla (Soria), etc. (see http://www.morethanenglish.com/puebloingles/index.asp). The formula is to bring together Spanish and English speaking people for 8 days. A department of the company managing those British Towns on Spanish soil, is responsible for identifying speakers abroad who have the motivation to come to Spain to participate in this kind of language immersion programs. 

However, it is not necessary to go to London or some of the charming mountain villages to enjoy a language immersion.

 Language Lab offers an immersive learning environment through Second Life. They have created a “VIRTUAL VILLAGE” inhabited by native English residents, who are also specialists in language teaching. 

Language Lab offers “conventional” English classes within Second Life and events within the “virtual village”:  four sims (islands) that make up  an entire city where students meet English speaking residents. 

The Language Lab system has significant advantages: 

     * The prices are very reasonable: from 29.90 U.S. dollars per month (3 hours classroom and 20 hours of events), $ 44.95 (6 classes, 30 hours of events) to $ 77.95 (8 classes, 40 h . events). 

     * One can make a sizeable time of English practice every day in a safe and pleasant environment. 

     * You can talk with native speakers who represent the actual varieties of English. 

     * It is easy to build a social network of English-speaking friends: teachers and students.

El sistema de Language Lab tiene ventajas significativas:

• Los precios son muy razonables: de 29.90 dólares por mes (3 horas de clase y 20 h. de eventos), 44,95 $ (6 clases, 30 h. de eventos) a 77,95 $ (8 clases, 40 h. de eventos).
• Es posible realizar la cantidad de práctica que uno pueda dedicar al aprendizaje del inglés, todos los días en un lugar seguro y un ambiente agradable.
• Es posible hablar con nativos reales que representan a los diferentes variedades del inglés.
• Es fácil construir una red social de amigos de habla inglesa: profesores y alumnos.

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Virtual worlds like Second Life are a perfect complement to e-learning. 

Nowadays nobody doubts the benefits of e-learning. These systems of distance learning, using mainly Internet tools, are fully consolidated and continue to grow steadily. 

Apart from cost reduction to process a larger number of participants and of course the flexibility of schedules, e-learning is a tool well suited for training individuals in highly decentralized organizations. In the latter area is where Second Life and other virtual worlds can be a very effective tool for “traditional” web-based online courses such as moodle. 

Web-based distance learning is mainly asyncronous. Second Life can add presence, although virtual, with online training. 

We have said elsewhere that the experience of meeting in Second Life is an acceptable substitute for the meeting in the real world. This is somehow equivalent in many ways to videoconference. But videoconference facilities are more expensive, fragile and difficult to access. Only a few large companies can afford a videoconference room for the workplace. In Second Life each computer connected to the internet can be a videoconference tool. 

Discussion on language learning in Second Life. Aberdeen’s IATEFL conference. Photo Blogefl (FLICKR.COM) 

Discussion on language learning in Second Life. Aberdeen's IATEFL conference. Photo Blogefl FLICKR.

Take the case of UNIGIS. Students in the online master of UNIGIS are scattered throughout the world. UNIGIS is using moodle as a tool for course management. However, thanks to Second Life, they will be able to come and participate with their avatars in virtual classes. They may also collaborate in seminars with other students and teachers. 

In the post on the predictions of Gartner, Javier Selva reminded us that “a strategy for success in virtual worlds should combine virtual worlds (3D) and the web (2D). Second Life actually is not going to replace the web, but can complement it in an effective manner. 

In the case of language learning, the usefulness of this integration is evident. There are many distance learning courses that allow web-based work, but that can not work a core function: talking. 

In language learning in Second Life students attend virtual classrooms that look very similar to a class of real world: they speak and listen. Classes are guided by teachers who can be found in England, United States, Germany, France or Australia. Language Lab users also benefit from the living practical communication contexts: a supermarket, a travel agency, a trade show, etc.

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Learning English is one of the favourite Spanish resolutions that we leave unfulfilled. Who can afford a couple of months to go to Ireland, United Kingdom or United States? Who has the money to afford such an investment? Now, we can make an immersive way … without leaving home!

Second Life (with sites like Avatar English) will allow us to make language courses from our computer. There are obviously ways to learn English at a distance, but not with the advantages that gives us a virtual world such as Second Life.

We wouldn’t hold that travelling abroad to learn a language is an outdated and obsolete experience. Far from it. We only open the door to language training to many people who couldn’t afford such an immersive experience in real world

There are also people who have had a negative experience: one course in London which was a total failure that cost dearly: a whole month there attending endless boring classes.

Second Life will allow us to:

-Experience a feeling of immersion and real presence. Our avatar can practice with native teachers of English being anywhere in the world. We will have the feeling of being personally with them. Just like a real class.

-Voice. We can talk in real time with the attendees. We can talk, discuss, and transmit information.

-We may use whiteboards, videos, Power Point documents … all attendess work on them in real time.

Flexibility and tailored teaching.

If you want to travel and soak in a different culture, do it, but it’s nice to know that to learn a language in an immersive way it is no longer necessary to travel.

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