This document discusses how identity changes in virtual environments like Second Life can influence teaching and learning. It notes that profiles in virtual worlds allow for self-expression and identity experimentation. The author then discusses how learner and teacher identities impact the learning and teaching experience, and can help or hinder the learning process. The document outlines questions the author asked Second Life students about choosing avatars and identity changes. Student responses discuss communicating traits through avatars, others' expectations of identities, and how identities may reflect aspects of real lives. The author concludes by suggesting further discussion on implications for teaching.

1. «Identity Games»
Identity Games
CAN WE USE IDENTITY
CHANGES TO IMPROVE
TEACHING AND LEARNING?
Marcus Birkenkrahe
HWR Berlin / Berlin School of Economics and Law
msb @ hwr-berlin.de

2. 1 Virtual Life
Virtual environments suggest Identity Games
the re/creation of your "profile"
Facebook, Twitter, MUVEs, Forums,
Moodle...
A profile is the outward face of an identity.
A profile doesn't exhaust your identity.
Few people can resist to re-present
themselves when offered the chance.

3. 2 Effects of Virtuality
Identity Games
Community building (networking)
Equality (Internet & dogs)
Self-expression (image cultivation)

4. 3 Learning
Identity Games
You don't just learn "stuff", you also
learn things about yourself.
The things you (really) learn about yourself
become part of your identity.
Your identity as a learner becomes part of your
learning experience.
Your learner identity can be helpful or
hindering to your learning "stuff".

5. 4 Example
Identity Games
Take yourself:
When you look at your avatar as it is right now:
what message are you sending about yourself
as a learner?

6. 5 Teaching
Identity Games
You don't just teach "stuff", you also
model identity.
The things you (really) teach infuence your
students' identities.
Your identity as a teacher becomes part of your
teaching performance.
Your teacher identity can be helpful or hindering
to your teaching.

7. 6 Example
Identity Games
Take me ;-)
When you look at my avatar as a teacher's
avatar:
what message am I sending about me
as a teacher?

8. 7 Where can we take this?
Identity Games
Experiment: I asked my Second Life
students a number of questions about their
choice of avatar and their experiences with
identity change.
Did not say "appearance" but "identity" to leave
them a choice.
Did not create a standard survey but began
discussing with them.

9. 8 Questions I
1. Communication: If you did pick our Identity Games
identity in Second Life consciously,
what identity did you choose and what did you want
to communicate with it?
2. Expectation: Whether you picked your identity in
Second Life consciously or not: what do you think
others will think of you when they see you?
3. Resonance: Did anybody else ever commented
on your identity in Second Life? What did they say
about it as far as you remember (or how did they
behave)?

10. Answer: „Communication“
«Indeed I chose my aviator consciously. I decided to
take an Indian related woman who is wearing a sari Identity Games
(or saree - the Indian traditional dress for women).
I was looking for something which is not the usual avatar as I am a
kind of person who likes to slip into different roles whenever
possible. As second life is a perfect chance to try out something
different while emphasizing on a specific character of myself, I was
looking for something which doesnt look alike myself in reality. In
my case I'd chosen something personal, as I studied two semesters in
Pune, India. Hence, I have a quite strong connection to that place and
wanted to show that to everybody. In that way people could associate
even faster that I am the girl who was in India. I constantly reminded
them of India, which was my purpose in a way. But I would rather
state it as a subliminal message, as I didnt want to convince anybody
for India, but rather show that I really liked it there and that I am
proud to got the chance spending a year at that place. So in a way, I
communicated my pride, my experiences and my connection to that
place as my avatar obviously looked like an Indian woman.»

11. Answer: „Expectations“
Identity Games
«My avatar was robot from standard collection of
avatars. Others would probably think that im boring or
lazy or have no sense of beauty or imagine myself an
Iron Man from the fairy-tale and in search of real
heart.»

12. 9 Questions II
4. Reorientation: If you could pick
Identity Games
absolutely ANY identity in Second Life,
which one would you pick and why?
5. Reflection: does your identity in Second Life in any
way refect your identity in real life (privately or
professionally)?
6. Changes: did you ever change your identity in the
course of your life so far (either personally or
professionally)? What were the results? Did you get
what you expected?

13. Answer: „Reflection“
Identity Games
«I picked a school bus on second life, without really
thinking too much about it to be honest, but I think I
did so because I did not want to choose a human
shape. Maybe it refects me somewhat in the sense
that it is rather American, which at heart, I sort of
am, and also it is full of life and always moving.»

14. 10 Questions III
Identity Games
7. Teaching: what do you think about
my appearance in Second Life as a winged
centaur?
8. Learning: did the possibility of changing your
identity in Second Life add to your learning
experience, subtract from it or was it irrelevant? Why?
9. Transference: If you were a teacher, which identity
would you pick for yourself?

15. Answer: „Transference“
Identity Games
«The avatar of a teacher should depend on the relationship
you already have with your students. Depending on
educational necessity you probably would choose
different avatars.»

16. 11 Let's Discuss!
Identity Games
Where could I, where could we take all this?
>> Talk at VWBPE 2012
Let's discuss!
(And thanks for listening)