Language Learning with Machinima: A Meta-analysis of the Research (560) Home : Annual Conference 2014

Language Learning with Machinima: A Meta-analysis of the Research (560)

Public Group Active 7 years, 8 months ago

Mon, Sep 1 2014, 4:40pm – 5:40pm

Description

The use of immersive digital games and 3D virtual environments has led to an increasing amount of educational research over the last decade exploring constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. Developing from this researchers are now investigating how the use of recorded video productions (or machinima) can be used to stimulate task-based learning in which learners interact in authentic cultural environments (e.g., learning German in the virtual city of Berlin). Arising from the two-year EU-funded CAMELOT project (CreAting Machinima Empowers Live Online Language Teaching and Learning), this paper investigates the use of machinima through the lens of sociocultural theory, exploring the potential of technology-mediated task-based language learning with a variety of target groups (e.g., school children, adult learners, and university students).

Machinima is a portmanteau word that combines ‘cinema’ and ‘machine’ and refers to filming actions, role-plays and dialogues between 3D virtual characters or avatars. Learners and instructors engage in a variety of preparation and planning tasks such as rehearsing, scripting and storyboarding. They then edit and refilm where appropriate to construct a complex and sophisticated video narrative that is potentially of immense value in a variety of fields, equipping users with a variety of technical and digital literacy skills, as well as presenting opportunities for language practice.

This paper aims to provide a critical meta-analysis of the wider context of language learning in virtual worlds and digital gaming, before analysing the implications formachinima from both learner and instructor perspectives. The data indicates that the use of machinima has significant potential for underpinning a learner-centred approach, emphasizing the importance of learner creativity and user-generated content. In conclusion the paper calls for more research on 3D immersive environments that explores strategies for overcoming institutional barriers to access through the use of mobile devices; the need for dialogical forms of language learning to present learners with opportunities for language production and creativity; and an awareness of the cultural context of the target language. The paper will present recommendations for the use of machinima in language learning and in the wider field of education.