Languages from a Distance

On Friday, April 11, I –or rather my avatar, Benno Tauber– attended the grand opening of the German island Metaversa in Teen Second Life. (*Actually the event was the first of two openings: the next evening another grand opening was held for English speakers –see photo.)

According to one of the Linden Lab officers who was present Metaversa is the largest non-English speaking island on the teen grid. Participants (about 10-15 of us, I think) were given a tour of the island by the teens who had built many of the sights: a mall with different items that the teens had created for “purchase” (all merchandise-mostly clothing– was free) , a stage for fashion shows, various architectural structures -including the Brandenburg Gate–, an apartment complex where students competed by designing their own rooms and living spaces, a race track with drivable race cars, a café lounge for socializing, a movie theater for viewing films and presentations, and much, much more. At the end of the tour we all flew back to the main stage where individual teens won awards for the best design in various categories.

The affair lasted about one hour and was streamed live in at “The Newthinking Store” in Berlin, Germany. Frequently, one could hear applause and laughter from the audience there (photo courtesy of Michael Lange.)

Michael Lange who works in conjunction with the German Federal Ministry for Youth and Education, organized the event and together with his avatar, Ziggy Tomorrow, moderated the tour and awards. Individual teens took part as well.

I think that the Second Life – Teen platform shows great potential for cultural exchange and language practice and actually plan to use it next year for our level 3 and 4 students. There are some obstacles to this plan— I will discuss them later—but the engagement and involvement I witnessed among the many teens on Metaversa island are cause for celebration. Congratulations to Michael and his team of helpers!