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| MOOssiggang, one of the world's first German-language MOOs, is radically
transforming the very concept of language learning itself at Vassar College. The
name is a pun on the word Müßiggang, which means something akin ot leisure,
relaxation and idleness, and which is intended to capture the MOO's dimension of
play. In MOOssiggang students have the opportunity to use German to engage in
serious conversations about literature and culture by producing and analyzing their
own virtual German-language culture and by working with other language learners
or native speakers on a daily basis. |
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The development of MOOssiggang was motivated by two pedagogical goals:
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to provide a solution to the often vexing range of student proficiencies in Intermediate German, a common problem in small language programs that often
leave some students underchallenged and others striving to keep up;
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to introduce intellectually rich content at an earlier stage in the language
learning process and thereby redefine what happens in the foreign language, liberal arts classroom as more
than mere "acquisition," "skill development," or even "proficiency."
Ultimately, MOOs provide language learners with an effective and even, at times,
playful way to study foreign languages. At the same time, they also offer the field of
foreign language study a model for the innovative yet practical integration of technology into the
classroom - a development that points towards an
exciting future for foreign language study in our increasingly global world. |
