Recently, I saw a piece of news that interests me. It's retrieved from
VINCENZA, Italy (Army News Service, Jan. 22, 2007)-
“The battlefield is going virtual”. Soldiers in Vincenza, Italy are provided a simulation video game to learn the Iraqi language – Arabic. This video game has “animated characters and life-like simulations that emphasize missions they'll conduct downrange”. In the tactical Iraqi language and culture training (TILT), there is no instructor and soldiers could learn at their own pace. TILT players are given voice-activated commands and they will get immediate feedback and guidance on Arabic language and culture learning. Soldiers are highly motivated to learn Arabic and they learn fast, “they've already spoken Arabic face-to-face with Iraqis on Baghdad streets”.
The battlefield is going virtual. Petty Officer Joe Ebalo tells us how Soldiers in Vicenza, Italy, are using a video game for more than just recreational use. Photo by AFN Europe
I don’t want to comment on the influence of TILT from the perspectives of military affairs and politics, but, TILT is a really successful foreign language learning program through gaming and simulation. This video game creates a “virtual” Iraqis, which is strongly related to soldiers’ lives and interests, thus increasing their autonomy and motivation. New London Group emphasizes the motivation in learning, stating “people do not learn anything unless they are motivated and believe they will be able to use and function with what they are learning some way that is in their interest” (New London Group, 1996). Therefore, simulation is absolutely a good way to motive students and provide an authentic environment for them to acquire language and enhance learning.
Reference:
New London Group (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. Harvard Educational Review, 66(1), 60-92.
3 comments:
I've read this news before. It seems that the news is well-known, 'cause a lot of my E-tech friends also mentioned this. Your comment that "I don’t want to comment on the influence of TILT from the perspectives of military affairs and politics" is really interesting. Yes, as an ESL major, I think it's amazing that we can see the real and positive influence of gaming in language learning.
Hi Jiao,
My husband is an Army reservist and is on his way back over to the Middle East. This time he is going to Kuwait to work at the port. I do not believe he has done this particular training but he recently complete an online driver's safety training. It was an interactive simulation where based on road conditions, speed, etc. the vehicle responded. It was very engaging and fun. Thanks for sharing this article. It was very interesting.
:) Garnette
Hi Jiao,
Great article examining education with the military using games. Its nice to see the soldiers are taking initiative to learn the native language in the country. A lot of the cutting edge technology begins with use in the military including the internet as a means to test its functionality for society. I suspect that more programs with similar designs may replace textbooks for second language learning in the US with instruction from distance ed teachers.
After all, the most efficient way to learn a language stems from daily spoken and audio interaction with individuals who understand the narrative, syntax and diction. Any person spending time in a foreign country can attest that learning from text pales in comparison with daily living interaction to understand language. Lets hope this software becomes the mainstream sooner rather than later.
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