"Don't Come to Class Naked": Immersion, Engagement and Ethos for Freshman Composition Writers Using SecondLife

“ Don’ t Come to Class Naked” Immersion, Engagement and Ethos for Freshman Composition Writers Using SecondLife Sarah “Intellagirl” Robbins – Ball State University CCCC 2007

What is Second Life © ?
M ulti
U ser
V irtual
E nvironment

Chat Instant Messaging Inventory Friends List MiniMap Motion Controls Camera Controls Building Tools Chat Window Media Controls Appearance

History of ENG104 in SL
Funded by The Center for
Media Design at Ball State
18 Students (300 applied )

Example assignments
Rhetorical analyses of immersive spaces
Analyses of avatars as rhetorical constructions
Interviews with SL residents about avatars, social interaction, life in digital spaces
Spatial communication
Visual communication methods
Visual representations of arguments made in written assignments

Why Second Life Works for Comp
Authentic Writing Environment
Primary Research
Visual Rhetorical Environment
Active Learning

Authentic Writing Environment
Writing for an attentive audience
Vygotsky’s scaffolding:
helps when students need it
allows them to work freely when they can accomplish the tasks by themselves
Fading scaffolding

Primary Research
Community Research Hands-on Experience

Visual Rhetorical Environment
Everything in SL is intentional
Bolter- Writing Space Text (semiotic) is subordinate to graphics (visual). This changes our traditional cultural orientation to alphabetic writing-desire for the natural sign (like emotions) (icons)
Kress- Visual rhetoric: studies visuals as rational expressions of cultural meaning

Active Learning
Presnky “they [today’s “game generation”] want to be to be treated as “creators and doers” rather than “receptacles to be filled with content.” (Prensky, 76)

The Value of Play
“ Play at being a critic. Deconstruct the game in order to play with it. Instead of accepting the rules, challenge and modify them. Without the freedom to critique and reconstruct, there is no truly free game; we are addicts and nothing more”
Virilio and Sans quoted in Rouzie

Brian Sutton –Smith’s Play categories
Mind or subjective play: daydream, metaphors
Solitary play: hobbies
Playful behaviors: playing tricks
Informal social play: parties and social gatherings
Vicarious audience play: films, theatre
Performance play: “playing” someone or an object
Celebrations and festivals: holidays and carnivals
Contests and games: gambling, sports
Risky or deep play: dangerous, risk taking play

1. Mind or subjective play: daydream, metaphors

2. Solitary play: hobbies

3. Playful behaviors: playing tricks

4. Informal social play: parties and social gatherings

5. Vicarious audience play: films, theatre

6. Performance play: “playing” someone or an object

7. Celebrations and festivals: holidays and carnivals

8. Contests and games: gambling, sports

9. Risky or deep play: dangerous or risk-taking play

Gregory Bateson: play parodies, not reality, but an idea or image of reality held by the players (Rouzie)

What is an Avatar?

Anatomy of an avatar: Developing Identities, exploring digital ethos
Selfe and Selfe (1994)
Interfaces express a set of dominant identities and relations within a given social context.
A limited set of options for self-representation, expression, and interaction, shapes the kinds of identity and modes of communication that are possible.
Reid “Virtual Worlds: Culture and Imagination”: MUD players are self-made identities
Turkle Life on Screen: online identity is more flexible than real identity

Play + Avatars= Immersion and Engagement
Better bonds between students
Increased connection between faculty and students
Greater understanding of learning outside of constructed experiences
Authenticity and exigency in learning situations
Increased student output

"Don't Come to Class Naked": Immersion, Engagement and Ethos for Freshman Composition Writers Using SecondLife

by Sarah Robbins on Mar 26, 2007

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