ABSTRACT
This chapter considers findings arising from its sister project that involved the extensive use of a 3D virtual world. It is based on interviews with learners, classroom observation, document analysis, video recordings and classroom ethnography to develop a holistic approach to data analysis. The video extracts have highlighted that learner silence during task completion may not mean the absence of learner involvement. It underlines how a methodology that only records learner talk conceals actions by the learners that contribute in significant ways to task completion. The use of the 3D virtual world was a significant departure from the Podcast Project in that learners communicated in an immersive environment in which their physical presence was replaced by a digital representation of themselves. Learner reflections suggested that the multiple channels of communication open to avatars presented shy learners with opportunities to interact and to feel included in the virtual meeting space. In the Virtual World Project the instructor assigned learners to dyads.
