Foreign Language Instruction in a Virtual Environment: - Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments - page 313

Figure 2. Screenshot of slideshow quiz

Next, the teacher asked the students to return to
the TV screen and informed them that they would
see an identical set of pictures as was displayed
previously. However, this time the slideshow
would be faster-paced [Th3] [Th4], allowing only
five seconds for viewing and typing the words.
Then, as in the first slideshow quiz, the students
were to IM the teacher with the German name of
the word represented by each picture.
One may note that teachers can vary the num-
ber of reviewed items and the speed with which
they display the pictures. It is most pedagogically
sound to start with fewer, easier items and with
more time allowed for answering the questions
as a warm up. Later, the difficulty and quantity
of items can increase with reduced time allowed
for answering.
As an alternative, instructors may want to in-
struct students how to make their own slideshows
where they could choose which words they want
to practice and with what speed they want them to
appear. In this way students can practice on their
own with individualized content, difficulty, and
speed. A beneficial aspect of this individualized

variation is that students can access their slide-
shows any time, beyond the classroom.

Advantages
First, this activity allows all students to partici-
pate simultaneously, making more effective use
of limited class time. Second, this activity can be
generalized to any discipline. It is most useful for
practicing declarative knowledge. Third, it takes
very little class time and relatively little prepara-
tion. It is an excellent way to review material.

Limitations
First, some students might not like fast-paced
activities because their level of anxiety rises too
much during such an activity. If the timing is too
fast then students may end up frustrated and de-
motivated. It may be more appropriate to give a
choice to students whether they want to participate
in such an activity, or not. Or, better, we should
emphasize that nobody besides the teacher has
the answers to their questions. Second, some stu-
dents may complain that they are slow typists and
sometimes they do not necessarily lack answers