Sachiko+Kamioka

Sachiko Kamioka is the assistant director for the Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) at the University of Oregon. CASLS is one of the fifteen National Foreign Language Resource Centers (NFLRCs) funded by the U.S. Department of Education. CASLS also oversees the Oregon Chinese Flagship Program, a K-16 Mandarin immersion program, funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP).

Sachiko directs a NSEP Diffusion of Innovation grant titled “MyChina Village: A Third Paradigm of Language Learning.” This two-year project (2007-2009) explores the use of virtual worlds for language learning. CASLS and partners Avant Assessment and Centric created MyChina Village to provide learners with a structured learning environment while capitalizing on the benefits of traditional oversea experience. Collaborating with Soochow University’s Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language Program, CASLS held the MyChina Village Virtual Chinese Immersion Camp in August 2009. This month-long camp for college students with intermediate-level Chinese skills provided participants with an opportunity to gain advanced proficiency by exploring environmental issues and performing language quests.

You can learn more about the MyChina Village project at [|http://casls.uoregon.edu/ mychina.php]