Digital Play

By kylemawer 　http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2011/03/09/learning-quest/

Learners Listen to Audio plays, solve clues collaboratively while exploring a virtual world

Level: Intermediate or Advanced

Location: Connected classroom/ Home

Skills Practice: Speaking/ Listening

Game: Robin Hood Learning Quest

It’s not often you get a fun game which is aimed at more than one Language learning level but this one does.  You first join Second Life (a free virtual world) which both you and your learners will have to do.  When you have finished making your avatar you log in to Second Life and then click on the SLurl above the picture.  Your avatar will then be teleported to the start of the Robin Hood quest.  It may be a little tricky moving around the first time you arrive there so a little orientation video doesn’t go amiss.

Preparation

There are a few system requirements and you will need to check that you can play audio if you are using the audio plays and have working headphones and speakers for each learner if they are using voice.  Of course, if they are in the same room they won’t need to use voice but if your learners are connecting from different geographical locations then voice can be very useful.  Try and establish some ground rules for taking turns to talk though, otherwise it can get confusing.

Arriving

There are a few things you should do when you arrive there for the first time:

1. Make friends with the other people there by right clicking on them and choosing ‘add friend’.
2. Chat using the public text box that runs along the bottom of the page.
3. Talk with them by using speakers and a microphone and clicking on the speak button that is just on the right of the public chat box.
4. Make someone responsible for keeping everyone together (the one most comfortable in this new environment), another responsible for remembering the clues and another for making decisions.

You are now ready to start the Quest.

Intermediate

For intermediate language learners there is a crossword they can download and complete while playing.  Here’s how they play:

1. They can find the Robin Hood crossword by clicking on the sign on the tree with the arrow in it (see the picture above – it’s the tree behind the fire).
2. They discuss what they should do to complete the crossword.
3. Then they find and read colour coded clues which tell them where to look next and what to look for.  They can surf the net to find the answers if they want.
4. As they journey through the quest they fill in the crossword.
5. Finally at the end there is a puzzle to solve which will gain them access to the dungeon where Maid marian is being kept prisoner.  They open the treasure chest and get a prize.

Advanced

For advanced language learners there are a series of audio plays they listen to.  In each play there is a clue to where they should go next and what to look for.  The Robin Hood crossword is optional but it’s a good way to keep them on task and encourages discussion.  Here’s how they play:

1. They listen to the audio play and discuss where they think the next clue is hidden and how to get there.
2. They also discuss what they need to look for (and complete the crossword when possible).
3. They then follow steps 3-5 in the Intermediate section above.

The audio play tape scripts can be useful.  Here’s a quick video introduction to the Robin Hood Quest:

By the way the final clue to open the dungeon door at the castle is:

1228/ Move aside for me please

If you are playing by using just the audio clues then you will need to tell your learners the password at the end because the last puzzle of the quest is a quiz to make sure they have completed the crossword.

Remember at the end of the day that the sole purpose of the quest is to provide a challenging and engaging task in which a lot of English is spoken.  I’ve spoken to a teacher who did the quest and said that the amount of English produced was great – unfortunately they only got through 3 of the 9 quest locations because they ran out of time.  Oh well!  Extra but fun homework I suppose.