VR4LL 2.0 - teacher training course

Student player (SP) is asked to go into the virtual world and use his/her virtual phone to find a box that contains something valuable. The problem is the student’s phone has been hacked. He/she must solve a series of problems and answer a number of questions in order to find his/her way to the mystery box. Solving the problems and answering the questions will require discussion and collaboration between the SP in the virtual world, and those in the classroom. As the game can take a bit of time to complete, or since you may wish to restart from a different point in the game, when you first enter the SP will find themselves on a landscape that looks a bit like Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. There are 3 options available to the SP: 

1. To start the game: move across the stones towards the tower on the right. Stand in front of the tower and you will be teleported to the starting point 

2. To restart from the monkey and the tree: move towards the tree. Stand in front of the tower and you will be teleported to the tree 

3. To restart from the cathedral: move towards the cathedral. Stand in front of the door and you will be teleported to the door of the cathedral 

4. To restart from the house: Stand in front of the building with the round stained glass window. Stand in front of the door and you will be teleported to the house
   
   

Scene 1 – Inside the castle 

There are three closed doors marked A, B and C. The SP has to switch on his/her virtual phone to navigate his/her way around the world. There is an icon for ‘Maps’ on the phones but when pressed, a menacing red face appears on the screen on the phone and says:

“Welcome to ‘A Game of Phones’. I am your new teacher. You must do exactly what I tell you. No arguments! Now, choose a door to continue. But choose wisely. My dragons are always hungry, and they are not vegetarian.”

The SP has to explain the message to the other students. After 20 seconds or so, the red face appears on the phone again and says:

“Would you like me to repeat my instructions?” A message appears saying YES / NO. If the SP presses YES, the first message is repeated. If the SP opens Door A, he/she sees a brick wall with some graffiti on it that says GO HOME!

 If the SP opens door B, he/she sees a wall of fire at the end of the passageway. He/she also hears the terrifying sound of a dragon. (If the SP chooses to go towards the fire they will automatically end up at the start of the game). If the SP opens door C, he/she sees some steps going down into a dark tunnel. No sounds. This is the correct path. 

Scene 2 – The tunnel

A narrow, dark tunnel with some flaming torches on the walls. The SP has to teleport himself/herself along the tunnel. After a while he/she comes to a large metal gate (again, like a portcullis). There doesn’t seem to be a way through. The red face appears on the phone and says:

“To raise this gate, at least some of the way, you will need to write the correct word on the wall.”

The SP has to look around. On the wall beside the gate there are some bricks. Four of the bricks are marked with one of the following letters: R A T S - Students have to work out that they need to remove the bricks and put them back in the correct order. In order to do this you need to make a fist. It can be a bit tricky to put the stones back, so be patient. Hold the stone at the front with one hand and on the tip with the other. If or when the SP spells S T A R the gate is raised, but only about halfway. The SP has to crouch down in order to get under the gate. The aim is to get to the top of the tower which is on the left.

The SP continues to the end of the passage and has the option to go left or right. If he/she takes the right option, he/she eventually comes across another metal gate and hears the sounds of dragons. No way through. Alternatively, if he/she takes the left option, they arrive at some steps. He/she climbs up and up, and eventually reaches an open doorway. They need to jump over the threshold to be able to enter the space. Here they find a wooden ladder going straight up. In order to climb the ladder they need to place their hands on the rungs. A white dot will appear, then SP can make a fist and reach up for the next rung. If SP climbs on the wrong side of the ladder they will reach the stone ceiling. To move to the correct side, use the right joystick. 

 Scene 3 – The tower (or the castle battlements)

Once at the top of the tower the SP finds themself on a terrace at the top of a tower, looking over the mountainous landscape with some lava flow. There is also one small tree visible. The red face appears on the phone and says:

“Describe this landscape, what can you see?”

Students share ideas about how to describe the landscape.
Meanwhile, a keyboard icon starts flashing on the SP’s phone. He/she has to work out that he/she needs to write the description on his/her phone/keyboard. He/she has to write at least two of the following words: mountain / snow / lava / fire / rock / sky / grey / tree

If the SP doesn’t write the necessary words after two minutes, the red face appears and says “Come on, it’s not difficult!”. If the SP writes the correct words, an old biplane appears high overhead and drops a ball with words written on them. The ball has the following message: ‘Write enter on your phone.’ But the message is coded and actually says: 3 = upgrc clrcp ml wmsp nfmlc (It’s a simple Caesar cypher where C, i.e. letter 3 = A, and so on). Students should be able to work out how the cipher is made. If not, the teacher can help. When the SP writes ‘enter’ on his/her phone, he/she is transported to a spot beside the small tree. The castle and tower are now visible in the distance.

Scene 4 – The tree

The SP looks around but can’t see any more clues. After 30 seconds or so, the red face appears on the phone and says: “So, you made it to my tree. Well done. Now, do you have any idea what you are supposed to do next? (Pause) No, I thought not. Well, here’s a riddle which might help: What rhymes with ‘tree’ but ends in ‘y’ and is half of an animal? I’ll say it again: What rhymes with ‘tree’ but ends in ‘y’ and is half of an animal? If you think you know the answer, write it on your phone. But you only have three chances.” Students have to work out that the answer is ‘key’. If or when the SP writes this on his/her phone, a monkey appears up in the tree with a large key in its hand.

If the SP doesn’t get the right answer after three attempts, he/she will find himself/herself back on the terrace of the tower and has to start again. Once the SP has spotted the monkey and the key, he/she has to persuade the money to drop the key. How? There are some nuts on the ground (they are red). The SP has to pick up a nut and throw it up to the monkey. The monkey reaches for the nut and drops the key. The SP picks up the key. But what does it open? The SP looks around and discusses options with the other students. After a minute the red face appears on the phone of student B and says: “So what are you waiting for? Can’t you find the door? Seriously? Here’s a clue: It’s not in the tree. Does that help? (Pause) No? OK, here’s another clue: what rhymes with ‘phone’?” Students have to work out that the answer is ‘stone’. The SP sees two large stones and they need to pick them up. They are covering a keyhole. The SP places the key in the lock and turns. A door opens and the SP sees a void. The SP jumps into the void and lands at the bottom. The door closes behind them.

Scene 5 – The cavern

When the SP reaches the floor of the cavern, a message appears on his/her phone that says ‘No signal’. The icon of a torch also appears on the phone. The cavern is very large and quite dark. The SP has to use the torch on his/her phone to see the way. In order to get off the initial cavern floor the SP needs to jump. You need to walk down the stairs, then you will see some writing on the floor. It says “Dragon’s Den. Leave now if you want to live.” Another message says “Listen, what can you hear? Could that be your way out of here?” There is the sound of some lava in the distance. The SP needs to walk towards the two arches and then walk through the first one and down the stairs. Follow the path to the sound and you see a lava stream. They need to look for a message on the floor. One message says ‘No entry’ and there is another message that says ‘No exit’. Students have to discuss what to do. If the SP takes the no exit route he/she goes down a flight of steps and eventually comes across another iron gate blocking his/her way. There is a message on the gate that says: ‘Seriously? Didn’t we tell you there was no exit this way?’ The SP then has to turn around and go back. If the SP takes the No Entry route, he/she has to climb up some stone steps, walk through another arch. When they reach the lava stream they need to be careful to use the stepping stones to cross and go through the wooden arch in front of them and eventually they will reach the old castle. If they fall into the lava they will end up at the start of the scene. 

Scene 6 – The old castle 

There’s a door in the castle wall and a light on in one of the windows. A message appears on the phone that says: ‘Signal restored.’ The red face appears on the phone and says: “Where have you been? This isn’t a pleasure trip, you know. Have you forgotten what you’re supposed to be doing? “Get moving. Now!” The SP approaches the door. There’s a bell beside the door. The SP pushes it and a bell rings. A few seconds later a female voice from inside the house says: “I don’t care what you’re selling, we’re not buying. Go away!” The students don’t know how to respond. The SP has to ring the bell a second time. This provokes a response from a different voice, a male, from inside the house. It says: “Mother, it’s probably just some more of those students. Let’s invite them in and see how clever they are.” The female voice responds saying. “Oh, very well, if you must. But don’t let them bother me!” The door opens and the SP goes inside. 

Scene 7 - Inside the old castle

There is an avatar of a young man standing and waiting for the SP. As the SP approaches, the avatar says: “Greetings young student. I know you are on a quest, and I know you need my help. But first you have to answer three questions. Don’t worry, they’re not difficult. You have to write the answers on your phone. Shall we begin? Question number 1: What is the square root of 876,096? Oh, I’m sorry, you’re a language student, not a maths student. My mistake. Let’s try again:

Question number 1: Write three of the most frequently used verbs in the English language.” Students will probably need to consult. The SP has to write three of the following: be, have, go, get, do, say, make, take, see. When the SP gets the answer right, the avatar says: “Very good. Now let’s continue. 

Question number 2: What happens if you heat water to a temperature of 100 degrees? Wait a minute, that’s a science question, and you’re a language student. But come to think of it, it’s so easy, I’m sure you know the answer. Let me repeat the question for you, just in case you weren’t listening the first time: What happens if you heat water to a temperature of 100 degrees? Write the answer on your phone.” Students may have to consult. The SP has to write: ‘It boils’ If the SP doesn’t write the answer correctly, the avatar says “Come on, I’m waiting. What happens if you heat water to a temperature of 100 degrees?”The avatar then says; “OK, good. That kind of sentence is called a zero conditional. It’s the sort of thing scientists use a lot. Another example would be: If a bee stings you, it dies. Poor bee.

Question number 3: How many other forms of conditional sentences are commonly used in the English language? Write the answer on your phone.” Students have to write: three or 3. If the SP doesn’t get the answer right after a minute or so, the avatar says “Come on, I haven’t got all day!” The avatar then says; “OK, good. You passed the test. Now, I believe you have a key that a monkey gave you. Can I see it?” The students don’t have the key and say so. After 20 seconds or so the avatar responds saying: “Seriously? You haven’t got the key? So how are you going to get into the cathedral? Oh well, you’ll just have to work it out for yourself. Now listen carefully. I shall only say this once. Go outside and turn right. Follow the path until you come to the cathedral. And don’t drop your phone, you’ll need it.” 

 

Scene 8 – The garden path. 

The SP teleports himself/herself down a path surrounded by trees and exotic plants. He/she continues along the path and will be teleported to the cathedral. There is a large door that is firmly closed. Students discuss what the SP needs to do next. After a while, the red face appears on the phone and says: “Stuck again? Really? Don’t you have the key? Seriously, you’ve lost it? Well, there is one option, although it’s not a good one. The lock on this door is sound sensitive. By which I mean, it responds to sounds. If you want the door to open, you’ll need to sing to it. Yes, that’s right, sing. And not any song either. You need to sing the first two lines of a song called ‘Yesterday’ by an ancient pop group called the Beatles. In case you don’t know them, here are the lyrics. If your singing doesn’t work the first time, keep trying!” The lyrics appear on the phone: ‘Yesterday. All my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they’re here to stay, oh I believe in Yesterday.’ The SP has to sing. If he/she doesn’t know the song, or is too shy, the other students can help. The red face appears on the phone and says: “Goodness me, that was awful, just awful! I don’t know if your singing worked. Let’s find out. Try writing the word ‘Yesterday’ on your phone.” If the student spells it correctly, the cathedral door slowly opens, and the SP goes inside. 

 

Scene 9 – Inside the cathedral

The red face appears on the phone and says: “Don’t forget, you’re looking for a box.” The SP looks around. On the left he/she can see a large, brightly painted, wooden box high on a shelf. The problem is, the SP can’t reach it, as it’s too high. Students have to work out how to reach it. The SP looks around and finds part of a ladder. He/she puts the ladder together using the other pieces, but it doesn’t reach. There is a bow on the floor plus some arrows. The SP has to work out that if he/she fires the arrow and hits the box, he/she should be able to make the box fall down.

The SP may need 2-3 attempts, but eventually manages to hit the box and it falls down and breaks open when it hits the floor. An object rolls out of the box. It looks a bit like a football, but it’s made of shiny metal. As the SP approaches, the ball rises into the air to around face height where it stays, hovering. If the students try to touch it, the ball moves away. The red face appears on the phone and says: “Don’t try to grab the ball, it might disappear completely. Find a cushion, put the cushion on the ground under the ball, and then try to persuade the ball to land on the cushion.” The SP has to relay these instructions to the other students. The SP finds the cushion, puts it on the ground under the ball, and then tries to work out how to persuade the ball to land. It doesn’t. After a few minutes a message appears on the SP’s phone. It says: “Are you having trouble getting through to the ball? Never mind, try writing the answers to these questions on your phone.

 

Question one: What shape is the ball?” The SP has to write ‘round’ ‘a sphere’ or ‘spherical’.

Once the SP has done this, the ball drops a little way towards the cushion. The next question appears on the phone.

Question two: now write the names of two more shapes. Possible answers: square, rectangle, triangle, oval, cube, pyramid. If correct, the ball drops a little further. The next question appears on the phone.

Question three: Write three of the world’s most widely spoken languages. Possible answers: English, Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi. If correct, the ball drops a little further. The next question appears on the phone.

Question four: Approximately how many languages are there?

a) 4,200

b) 5,400

c) 7,100

The correct answer is C

If correct, the ball lands on the cushion and it opens. Inside the ball is a letter. The voice reads the letter: “Correct. There are more than 7,000 languages, but sadly, over 3,000 are in danger of extinction.  The country with the most languages (840) is Papua New Guinea. The EU has 60 languages. We’re delighted that you’re learning one of them. Now, dial 54321 on your phone.” The SP enters the number and is immediately transported back to the starting point. A fireworks display (or similar) appears on the phone, followed by a message that says: “Congratulations! You have passed your test! And that means you have passed this part of your English course. Well done!”