 Hello everyone and welcome to the 9.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. session of the 2023 Open Simulator Community Conference. In this session we are pleased to introduce the presentation in immersive world for advanced speaking and English. Our speakers are Elaine Hauder and Jeremy Finkelstein. Jeremy has been a computer developer and researcher for 40 years. Dr. Hauder is a senior lecturer at Talpiette College in Halan. She is known for her innovative approach to teaching which focuses on creating inclusive and diverse learning environments. Jeremy has been developing virtual world environments for education since 2006. He specializes in creating interactive environments designed to assist and further the educational process with fun and immersive content. Please check out the website found at conference.opensimulator.org for speaker bios, details of sessions, and the full schedule of events. This session is being live streamed and recorded. So if you have questions or comments during this session you may send tweets to at open sim cc with the hashtag pound O.S.C.C.23. Welcome everyone and let's begin the session. Okay. So here we are again. And today we'd like to present another MOOC course. So yesterday we explained for those who aren't familiar, it's a massive open online course. And we were given funding for the Minister of Education in Israel and the advanced for the universities in Israel to make a course in advanced spoken English. The reason being that now, unlike before, I don't know, I'm sure many of you from different countries in the world are not, you know, where people have to learn English. Whereas in the past it was the exams were basically based on reading comprehension. Today they cover all the four skills. And we were asked because of this change in the universities and the colleges to make a course that will cover the advanced level in spoken English. In other words, when you finish it, you're exempted from English. Okay, can we move the slide? So the first question we ask is what's the best way to learn a language? It was the slide before. And I think we all know that the best way to learn is to go to that country and to become immersed. But in virtual reality, we can become immersed almost as much as if we were actually there. And I think that's the bigger boundary. So we're not the first people to develop this type of thing. There've been lots of projects before. But this is a complete course. And I don't think anyone's done it as extensively as we have in this in this course. And so if you agree with me that immersive learning is the best, yes, the best way to learn. So if you wanted on Hebrew, you can all come along to us. But and the thing is when people get to a high level in English, and the different problems that are different to the lower levels. And I won't go into this because I'm also a linguist. The types of problems that people have. But I will say, and we'll come back to this later, a lot of it is related to confidence. And I'm sure many of you try to learn Spanish. But if you're not confident to speak whenever you can, you don't get the time to practice. And so we want you to make a world where you'd have lots of time to practice as if you were in the real world because time on practice is what improves your English. But just speaking in English won't improve your English. You have to be all the time given expressions, words, particularly expressions to integrate in what you say in order to improve your level. So let's go on. I want to show you what we've done instead of just talking next one next one. So the course has 10 units. Each unit deals with a different language function, for example, arguing, asking for information. And each one takes place in a different place and we'll show that in a second. And it's also part of a larger course where we use AI to learn the vocabulary at the beginning. And then later on they come to the virtual world to practice. So you can see we've got all different places where where the units take part and each one align for different vocabulary and language use. Now in the end, the students give one minute one minute speeches. And sorry, I think I have telephones going here. And they needed the end to give a one minute speech. And like a TED speech. So and when we help them plan towards that. Yes, not all the time other people are going to be online for them. So we made sure we had a lot of individual work, a lot of gamification, that you'll see soon we have ATM machines to get extra points and a lot of things you do by yourself and in the future. And we made this before AI and obviously we're going to put AI into this. So you've got more people to talk to. And so we have exercises with a robot. We have pair work. We have group work. And and this is connects is what Ori just said in the presentation before the importance of a teacher. We do have a teacher at certain times there. So in each unit, in order to be graded, we'll show you that in the second, you need to speak with a teacher who gives you a grade for whatever you're doing on that level. It could be for a debate. We could be an elevator speech. And you have to go into a real elevator to give the speech with the teacher. And it's a lot a lot of fun. Anyway, so let's watch a short video explaining this. Okay, so if there are people that can't click on the video on the screen and the link is in the chat below. If you click on the link in chat. You have unlimited entrance to a virtual world made for you and your fellow students to improve your English. There are four types of activities on Engelhaven Island. There are activities to do on your own to develop vocabulary, grammar and your fluency. And there are activities with a robot. There are activities with peers and there's group work activities with fellow students on the island. Now in addition, at designated times during the week, there will be real teachers available to work with you and give you feedback. The full paying option of the course includes an analysis of your spoken English at the end of the course. This 15 minute online examination from an outside company, analyzes your grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency and supplies you with a grade and certificate in accordance with the European CEFR levels. This will hopefully attest to you completing the B2 level in English, which is the required level for many international companies and institutions of higher education. This certificate is already recognised by most leading high tech companies, as well as international organisations in some universities. We've done our utmost to make this course as fun and as interesting as possible. But now it's up to you to dedicate as much time as you can to practice. Yes, video is done. Okay, let's move on to the next slide. Do you want to explain this one? No, no, go ahead. So the students have multiple portals in which to track their own progress. And as Elaine said from the beginning, this is a MOOC course. So there's actually like, if you don't know what a MOOC is, it's kind of like a Moodle. So that the students can go in and do exercises on the website. And then they go into the virtual world and perform exercises there too. So on our website, they can track their virtual world tasks and all sorts of other tasks. And they can also be tracking how they're doing on the MOOC site as well. And of course, this is all this information is open to the teachers. So the teachers get to see what the students have done. And it's interesting here, you get the grade and the explanation of each assignment. So some of the grades you get are just for doing something. Other times, you know, you can make mistakes. So you lose points. And the teacher gives a real grade to how you do on the assignment at the end of each unit. Okay, let's go on. So we have another video here. Get ready. Click on the link in the chat and you'll be able to see it's just a short video. So do you see all these words underneath that we can use? Okay, actually, this is one of my favorite, one of my favorite pictures. I mean, it's amazing. I've loved it for years. I think it's it's beautiful because the colors are very lively, vivid in the picture. And the lines are it's impressionist. You can't see clear lines. I'm gonna stand up and have a look at the paintings whilst you talk so I can work out which one you're talking about. Have a look around and see. Yes, there's there are quite a little contrast in the colors. I think what you'll notice is it's really a landscape, but just two figures inside that landscape. It's so poignant because of the mixture of the of the colors from landscape and the people walking in that landscape. I wonder if it's I wonder if it's the Mark Chagall painting, the wedding candles. No, no, no, no, it's it's a landscape. It's a landscape. And there's two figures in the landscape. The landscape of two figures. Oh, in a boat. Is it a Renoir called the skiff? No, no. There's a woman and a child with an umbrella. It's in the middle of a field. It's a really bright color, bright red from the flowers. Oh, I know what it is. It's a Claude Monet. It's called the Poppyfield near Argentuil. Exactly. Well done. Wow, that was cool. And to the end, just remind me, Jeremy, what was the one they just saw? The gallery. So do you notice as you're watching it that the words are there all the time to use? And that's the way we try to improve the vocabulary. So each each user gets on their screen in a hard words that they need to try and use in order to describe the painting. And they can go around and have a look at different paintings and describe them using those words. The big difference between a lower level of speaker and a higher level is what we call formulaic sequences. And those are different expressions that we use. Instead of just giving the basic information we add, you know, like I haven't thought of it that way. That's interesting. Those are the little expressions that are so important to raise the level of English. And also we put understand what is acceptable in different circumstances. And so that we work a lot on that and also listening to different accents. We have people from all over the world. I mean, often you if you're not used to hearing someone from Asia speaking, then it's really very difficult to to understand. So we have to attune our ears to all different types of accents. Sorry, I thought everybody finished. I think most people have. So let's move on to the next slide. So the advantages. I think the biggest advantage of this program is that so many people are not confident about speaking and they do not speak. Whereas in this course when we ask them, they said it's the first time I've spoken. Why? Because it's not me that's speaking. It's the avatar. And the fact that they don't think it's themselves is the avatar that one step away allows something that we really hadn't considered before a tremendous advantage of using a virtual world. So that's really good. And obviously they enjoyed doing it. There was so much gamification. There were so many games for them. And there were competitions and and there was a social aspect. They got to meet so many different people. We had all different colleges. So they got to meet people from other colleges from different cultures, Arabs, Jews working together. And the teacher present was said to be really important for all of them. For the fun of meeting a teacher in a different environment, but learning in a fun way and getting feedback on a one to one basis. Can we next one? I'll pull my side of time. So there's just one short last short video. We promise it's the last one. Video is really a fun. It's the very final unit. And you can see the words on the side. And both the speakers get these words. They get a situation. I think people who make the virtual word you'll love this. They don't know what situation it is. Each time a different situation comes. It could be in a prison. It could be in a bank. This one I think is a medical one that you see. And a list of words comes up an arbitrary list of words. And the speakers between them have to try and use these words. And the audience vote on how well they use the words. They kind of tell a story together, you know, have a conversation together using those words. And it can often turn out very funny to listen to. And this is our last the final lesson in the course. Hi there. How can I help you? It's my leg. It's your leg. What's the matter with your leg? It really hurts. I mean, you can't apply if I'm anyone's applying pressure to it. It's it feels like a head. It's it feels like an electric shock and electric shock. Okay, is it feel like you're being restricted in any way? Like the blood flow is being restricted? I don't know. You're the doctor. How did you how did you manage to hurt yourself? Well, I was playing with my daughter with her mini mouse. And then my son came along with his with his airplane. And he screamed, the eagle has landed. And he rushed right into me, pushed me down the stairs. And I've been excruciating pain ever since. Oh, dear. And right now you're you're in a lot of pain. There was a buff. This is pain. I don't know what it what else it is. Wow. Okay, so let me get a few more details. And let's see what we can do about your condition. I don't think you need to need to see all of it when you just get the hang of it. And then I think we need to take any questions and concludes and go to the next slide. Yeah. So you can look at that again later. Yes. And these are comments from the students. And more of we have done research on this. And we there's an exam at the beginning and the end, the students have improved tremendously more than they should have for this short amount of time. And they managed to go up a whole level in English, which is like wow. And obviously, the more time they spent, the more they improved their English. And they got a certificate to say they breached the B2 level, which is what they need for any job in any international company. So I think the amount of time they spend in world speaking and speaking and speaking and being immersed in that world. That's what sets this course apart. Is that because it's like a virtual environment and people can meet there and be immersed in it. They really improve very quickly. Right. So any questions for anybody? We've got like two minutes left. We do have a booth where you can go to as you probably some of you might know it's our festival of Hanukkah. So Jeremy's made donuts for you. But they're magic donuts when you don't put on any weight. So you're welcome to have as many as you want. Kayaka has a question. When will you do this for Spanish? Actually, we can do it for any language. It's, we're just someone who just has to come with us and put up the money and we can do it easily. And we are doing and probably doing one in Hebrew in the near future. And I mean, the world's the limit once you've got the basis. But each language has its own problems and the problems for learners. We know Arabic speakers find the P and the B interchangeable. So we have to make sure we have lots of exercise for that. And it depending on who it is, it will change. Yes. Right. So our booth is booth 17 on the expo three. Right. Exactly. The voice is important for education, right? Okay, so we've got one minute to wrap up. Jeremy, should we wrap? Let's wrap up. We're on the last slide anyway. So if you go to this website, you can see we have two different courses, one for multiculturalism, a different course that we did. Also in the virtual world. And also there's a portal to this course as well. And you can take a closer look at what the course is all about. Now the courses courses on edX international so anybody can take it for a fee. And obviously we have to take a fee because we have to pay for all this AI stuff we're using on the virtual world and the teachers. It comes with teachers. So that's why but it's much much less money than any course you normally take it really is a bargain. So but it's also if you have students in colleges that they're interested, I mean, the more the merrier basically. That was very very cool and everybody if you get a chance stop stop over on Expo three there at booth number 17. It sounds like it's a great thing to experience yourself firsthand. Well, I just want to say thank you to Elaine and Jeremy for an informative and interesting presentation today. As a reminder to our audience, you will want to check out conference.opensimulator.org to see what is coming up on the conference schedule. You won't want to miss our next session, which will begin at 10 a.m. in this keynote region and it's entitled learn coding with Eureka LSL blocks for open simulator. Also we encourage you to visit the OSCC 23 poster Expo in the OSCC Expo three region to find accompanying information on presentations and to explore the hyper good resources in OSCC Expo two region along with the sponsor and crowd funder boots, which are located throughout all of the OSCC Expo regions. Thank you again to our speakers and to the audience. Thanks everyone. Thanks. Bye.