Italian in Turkey: intercultural learning in virtual worlds
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Published
Apr 1, 2017
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Abstract
This article presents an ongoing experimental pilot project being carried out at the Italian Department of Istanbul University’s Virtual Campus (VC). Following a description of the Turkish context, the potentialities that virtual worlds offer for education are discussed. The focus of the project is specifically on Second Life, a digital environment suitable for intercultural education that offers fluid spaces for meetings, intertwinements and linguistic and cultural contaminations. We have sought to foster a positive attitude towards collaboration and mutual intercultural understanding in the informally relaxed and playful atmosphere of a VC space called ‘’Italian Language Park”. The ongoing project is demonstrating how, and to what extent, the world could be transformed into a global village, a place where immersive technologies are leveraged so that linguistic and cultural diversity become core strengths that make a significant contribution to intercultural dialogue and the peace process.
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Articles - Special Issue
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References
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Simsek, I., & Can, T. (2016). The Design and Use of Educational Games in 3D Virtual Worlds. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (pp. 611-617).
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Unesco (2008). UNESCO’S Work on Education for Peace and Non-Violence. Building Peace through Education. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001607/160787e.pdf
Banzato M., & Corcione, D. (2008). Second Life. La grande guida. Bologna, Italy: CLUEB.
Bernardi, U. (2004). Cultura e integrazione. Uniti dalle diversità. Milano, Italy: Franco Angeli.
Buchanan, J., Wilson, S. T., & Gopal, N. (2008). A cross cultural virtual learning environment for students to explore the issue of racism: A case study involving the UK, USA and SA. Social Work Education: The International Journal, 27, 671–682. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2hjGC2A
Chia, R. C., Poe, E., & Singh, P. (2008). An interactive virtual global cultural course: Building a real time cost effective global collaborative learning environment. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 3, 32–35. Retrieved from https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00197277/document
Chittaro, L., & Serra, M. (2004). Web3D technologies in education: Motivations, issues, opportunities. Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Web3D Technologies in Learning, Education, and Training, (pp. 3–7), September 30–October 1. Udine, Italy. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2hg4aDK
De Martin, M. (2011). Istanbul. Milano, Italy: Mondadori.
Diehl, W. C., & Prins, E. (2008). Unintended outcomes in Second Life: Intercultural literacy and cultural identity in a virtual world. Language and Intercultural Communication, 8, 101–118. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/75662
Dupuy, K. (2008). Education for peace. Oslo, Norway: International Peace Research Institute (PRIO) and Save the Children Norway.
Groom, V., Bailenson, J. N., & Nass, C. (2009). The influence of racial embodiment on racial bias in immersive virtual environments. Social Influence, 4, 231–248. Retrieved from http://stanford.io/2hPKLub
Fedeli, L. (2013). Embodiment e mondi virtuali. Implicazioni didattiche. Milano, Italy: Franco Angeli.
Guiraud, P. (1965). Les Mots Etrangers. Paris, France: Presses Universitaires de France.
Hasler, B. S. (2011). Intercultural Collaborative Learning in Virtual Worlds. Cutting-edge Technologies in Higher Education, 4, 265–304. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Koester, J., & Olebe, M. (1988). International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 12(3), 233-246.
Liu, Y., & Hannafin, R. D. (2010). Exploring student identity in an intercultural web assisted scientific inquiry project. Journal of Research in International Education, 9, 124–140. doi:10.1177/1475240910370814
Meddings L., Thornbury S. (2009). Teaching Unplugged. London, UK: Delta Teacher Development Series.
Özön, M. N. (1962). Türkçe-Yabancı Kelimeler Sözlüğü. Istanbul, Turkey: Ġnkılap Kitabevi.
Page, J. S. (2004). Peace education: Exploring some philosophical foundations. International Review of Education, 50(1), 3-15.
Pigozzi, M. J. (2006). A UNESCO view of global citizenship education. Educational Review, 58(1), 1-4.
Rutka, S., & Caon F. (2004). La lingua in gioco. Perugia, Italy: Guerra.
Savolainen, K. (2010). Education as a means to world peace: The case of the 1974 UNESCO recommendation.
Simsek, I., & Can, T. (2016). The Design and Use of Educational Games in 3D Virtual Worlds. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2016 (pp. 611-617).
Thornbury, S. (2000). A Dogma for EFL" (153). In IATEFL, 2. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1yAMrKQ
Unesco (2008). UNESCO’S Work on Education for Peace and Non-Violence. Building Peace through Education. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001607/160787e.pdf