Virtual+Worlds

[] Second Life

http://secondlife.com/showcase/education/

Second Life for educators is a virtual world that can be created any way the users want to create it. This is currently being used inK-12 schools and universities around the world. You can set up chat rooms using voice or text chats. Students can virtually meet to share and network with other students in other countries. Students could use the virtual world to learn about science - create real or imaginary habitats, write about what they've created, and share with others. Second Life offers wiki's, blogs, et cetera.

Second Life was not originally set up for educational purposes, but there is so much potential in this new virtual reality. I can see if being used to link students in other cities, states, and countries. Teachers could have the students create things in their virtual worlds that would difficult to create in the real world. Students get the benefit of using technology in exciting and creative new ways, and teachers can get the students motivated to learn in a new environment.

There is a great article on educators using Second Life (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/2007/04/setting_up_shop_in_second_life.html) The author of the article suggests that students could create things like 3D single-celled paramecium to show their understanding of biology - the possibilities are endless! He also suggests the teacher setting up the parameters of an environment and the students creating life forms in that environment that have specific traits to live successfully in that environment. I can see this being used in my third grade classroom for our unit on the solar system. The students learn about different planets. They could work in pairs to recreate the specifics for a planet of their choice, including the day/night, year cycles, temperatures, gases, et cetera. Then they could create and design a life form that can live on that particular planet. We also have a unit on habitats and students could choose a habitat to create, then decide what animals would be appropriate for that particular habitat.

This would probably be better suited to older grades, and I think the teacher would need to be careful and monitor the students use. I am sure there are going to be updates and a version specifically for educational purposes will be targeted at schools.

This is an aside - I found an interesting website for tutorials .... http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

Denene S. Barnes

Virtual Worlds in Education []

This website gives the reader so much information about using various virtual worlds in education and the benefits to students. Having students play in these virtual worlds builds decision making skills and leadership skills and adds an additional level to online learning. Below is a sampling of virtual worlds that could be easily integrated into the classroom:

[|http://www.sloodle.org] is an Open Source that integrates the Moodle module with Second Life allowing easier access and use to teachers in an educational setting. [|http://www.vivaty.com] is another virtual word that is easy to access. Teacher (or users) can create a Vivaty Space and post class related materials such as YouTube videos, class assignments and student products. These spaces may be kept private or shared. [] is a common virtual world with younger children.

Kimberly Schultz

Webkinz World []

Webkinz World is a virtual world designed for children. It is a child-safe website as it is a closed system - meaning that everything children say is "constructed" by the website team. Children can't input their own words, but are still able to communicate via selected words/sentences. However, there is a "Plus" edition available where children may use their own words, but the site is monitored and Webkinz notes that if there are violations of inappropriate content that filters through, those guests will be removed for a period ranging from 24 hours to permanant removal from the website. Therefore, if the regular edition of Webkinz is used, then users should feel confident about content safety.

Guests must own at least 1 Webkinz pet that are available at many different retailers. After logging into the website, guests are awarded "kinzcash" and are able to see and name their pet as well as decorate a room that is owned by their pet. There are a wide variety of games available to choose from. Some games may be played individually, others may be played with other online guests.

There are several ways as to how I would incorporate this virtual world into the classroom. Using several games as an example; "Lunch Letters" teach typing and spelling skills. "Quizzy's Word Challenge" teaches spelling. "Operation Gumball" teaches logical thinking skills. Students can use mathematics and life skills by collecting kinzcash earned playing games. Students must save and decide how best to spend their money. Another life skill that can be learned in a fun way is that guests/students must remember to care for their Webkinz pet, otherwise the pet becomes ill and then a veterinarian must be paid. Webkinz states on their parents area that Webkinz pets do not die, at worse they become ill. If guests forget to feed or exercise them or don't allow them to get enough rest, then their pets become ill. There are even monitors for each pet that the guest owns that tell the health status of their pets. Another use of the virtual-world is that it could be used to motivate and reward students by allowing them extra time on Webkinz. Rather than purchasing a pet for every student which could become cost prohibitive, then perhaps one pet could be purchased and designated as the "class pet". One pet is all it takes to take advantage of all the games and activities on Webkinz. Therefore, I would use Webkinz in the classroom to reinforce reading/language arts as well as teach basic life-skills.

Troy Morton

I like the Virtual Forbidden City []=. It is a virtual world created by IBM and the Palace Museum. It does require registration and download to use, but what a great way to introduce China in World History! The only ways it's actually been used in school libraries that I could find using a Google search appear to be links, usually with reference to specific classes. Discovery Education does offer a lesson plan that looks very interesting here: [] There are 114 lesson plans posted here: [] unfortunately, it's a paid site, although you can get a free ten-day trial. This is a nice packet with a lot of links from The World Affairs Council: [] I think it would be a great site to use for students researching world history topics – maybe a good jumping off point for a history fair project? Another interesting article, I found was from SLJ. It's titled “Let the Games Begin,” but it seems to me to be at least as much about virtual worlds as it is about games. [] Kelly Patton