Chapter 3: Crossing the Digital Divide: Language Learning in Virtual Environments

My name is Profesor Juran. I was born on August 22, 2007, in the virtual world of Second Life. I am a digital representation, also known as an avatar, of a person who exists in real life (see Figure 3.1). In my virtual world I am a teacher-researcher, a Spanish instructor, a builder, and a sculptor. The world that I live in is constantly changing; continents expand, islands appear and disappear, buildings, towns, and even cities rise and fall unexpectedly, space is created and extended, and fact, fiction, and fantasy are blended together in a dynamic environment. The limits of this virtual world are only bounded by the creativity of the people that live in it; if it can be imagined, it can be created. At any given moment, there are approximately 60,000 “residents” online from all over the earth. The diversity they embody and express in the virtual world parallels (or perhaps even exceeds) the diversity of the real world in terms of background, personal experiences, race, ethnicity, language, and culture. I have numerous friends, acquaintances, and colleagues in Second Life, but I only know one of them personally in real life.