Walk into a world of literature.

Walk into a world of literature. Western Michigan University Western Michigan University,at Kalamazoo, Mich.; coeducational; founded in 1903 as Western State Normal School, became accredited in 1927 as a college, gained university status in 1957. English professor Allen Webb remembersthe difficulty his high school students had when trying to understandchallenging novels. Working off the fact that so many kids love playingvideo games See video game console. , he decided to create Web-based virtual reality environmentsabout literary works. "How can those of us interested intraditional literature connect what we're doing to what these kidsare good at doing?" he asked himself. The first world he created is based on Chinua Achebe's ThingsFall Apart, which takes place in late 19th century Africa and is writtenfrom the point of view of a tribesman. It's often hard forcontemporary students to imagine life in an African village. Webb founda collection of black-and-white photos taken by an anthropologist aroundthe time of the novel and used them to create the online world. He alsoincorporated music and put the characters from the novel into thevillage. Students can enter the village, pick up objects and communicatewith each other in chat rooms. Sites likes these are great for helping students withproblem-solving, says Peggy Albers, an associate professor at GeorgiaState University HistoryGeorgia State University was founded in 1913 as the Georgia School of Technology's "School of Commerce." The school focused on what was called "the new science of business. . "Teachers can use these tools to encourage andexplore relationships that aren't available in print-basedtext," says the former middle- and high school teacher. "Invirtual worlds, students can learn to respond as a character might. Itprovides an overall richer experience for both the students andteacher." Eve Eisenberg, who teaches English 9 and 10 at theHunter-Tannersville (N.Y.) Central School, is thrilled thrill?v. thrilled, thrill��ing, thrillsv.tr.1. To cause to feel a sudden intense sensation; excite greatly.2. To give great pleasure to; delight. See Synonyms at enrapture. with virtualworlds. "There's a general perception that language arts language artspl.n.The subjects, including reading, spelling, and composition, aimed at developing reading and writing skills, usually taught in elementary and secondary school. doesn't need access to technology, which frustrates me," saysEisenberg. She says virtual worlds are terrific for getting students tothink creatively and hopes that more teachers will use them. Thanks to a grant Webb recently received, Eisenberg might get herwish: Webb and a team of professors and doctoral students are developingseveral new worlds, including A Midsummer Night's Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the 1590s. It portrays the adventures of four young Athenian lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and , 1984 andBrave New World Brave New WorldAldous Huxley’s grim picture of the future, where scientific and social developments have turned life into a tragic travesty. [Br. Lit.: Magill I, 79]See : DystopiaBrave New World . www.literaryworlds.org