Explorative German Language Learning on Gather.Town

(Photo used with consent from students)

Dennis Johannssen, Assistant Professor of German, created a virtual map of Lafayette’s campus in the virtual community space Gather. Students are invited to explore a common space with customizable avatars and in-screen audio and video functions. They can enter campus buildings, converse and collaborate in classrooms and common spaces, or hang out on the green. For his German 101 class, Prof. Johannssen created a “Schnitzeljagd” (scavenger hunt), in which students collaborate to solve riddles and find clues in German. Last week’s “Stammtisch” conversation hour also took place in the Gather space. Students shared drawings on a white board, discussed their hybrid campus experience, and played games while chatting in German. 

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