Virtual+Worlds


 * Technology:** Second Life


 * Website:** []


 * Description:**

Second Life has a lot of potential applications for educational purposes and some of the novelty of Second Life has been realized by various higher education institutions as a very unique medium for educators and students to interact. Now high school students can experience this virtual world of education by taking dual credit classes in Second Life through a program started at East Carolina University. Through the Teen Grid of Second Life, students in Pitt County Schools are afforded this cutting-edge opportunity to attend virtual classrooms taught by virtual professors (the avatars of real professors) to earn college credit in an engaging and interesting new way.


 * Application for educational setting: **

As a former art teacher that has become a school librarian, I would like to use Second Life to explore artworks in a more "in-depth" way than I could ever have imagined. There is a site within Second Life that allows students to "enter" works of art like Van Gogh's, as if they are a subject of the painting itself - or the place the painting was based on. Teachers can take students on guided tours of places they otherwise would never be able to visit: take a walk through a virtual Arles - the town that Van Gogh painted in - or scan the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Second Life could also be a virtual library where patrons can check out ebooks and browse the collection, or take a gallery walk through the collection of a museum.

**Name of contributor:** Herschell Boyd, SLIS 5720

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Virtual worlds, 3D computer generated environments, are extremely popular with kids. There are over 100 child-friendly virtual reality sites on the internet with new ones being added almost daily. There are even some that deal with virtual worlds for pets. No one is sure if the Virtual worlds came about for adults or children first. Children can use the internet to interact with others in a virtual setting. Children enjoy playing games, chatting and creating avatars as they go into the virtual world. All virtual world websites for kids offer age appropriate content and safety devices to monitor use and content.


 * Application for educational setting: **

There are virtral world games such as Jump Start, which teach children Math, Reading, and Lanugages. Club Penguin helps children build social relationships as they interact with other penguins. There are also, of course, many cartoon based virtual worlds that can help children bring characters from their favorite stories and/or movies to life. I believe that virtual worlds help children develop active imaginations and definitely allow them to become much more creative in their comprehension and higher level thinking skills. At the beginning they would see everything as just a game, but soon they would realize that they can be authors, illustrators, and creative artists.

Name of contributor: Maria Lucero, SLIS 5720


 * Technology:** Webkinz
 * Name of Contributor:** Mary Ann Riley, SLIS 5720


 * Website:** []


 * Description:** On this site users can adopt a Webkinz pet and build a virtual world for it. A Webkinz pet must be purchased first and the code registered on the website with a user name and password in order to participate. There are many educational games within the virtual world that build literacy, math, and science skills.


 * Application for Educational Setting:** Webkinz has been used in literacy stations in the library, allowing younger students to play educational games to strengthen literacy skills.

Another application is to conduct a research project on animal and their habitats in the library using non-fiction books. Then after the students have conducted research on the animal, where it lives, what types of foods it eats, etc., students could build a Webkinz World environment that would mimic a real-life habitat of their animal. Students would choose appropriate foods for the animal and proper veterinary care.

Other educational skills that can be reinforced by playing Webkinz games are: keyboarding, pet care, money & math skills, writing letters and sending packages to friends, spelling games, writing plays with music, performing jobs to earn Kinz Cash, reading a newspaper, social interaction with other users, organization of user’s pet collection, story editing, and building an outdoor, indoor, or underwater habitat. Many lessons can be created for each skill listed above as a fun approach for drill & practice, to motivate students to be creative, or as practical applications (earning and spending money). Below are additional URLs of websites created by Kathy Cothran that discuss her ideas for Webkinz use in the library and classroom. [] [] []

Another article (URL below) was written on the subject of student inquiry and mentions that teachers could present students with the fictitious scenario that Webkinz has created a new site called Webkinz in the Wild. Students would then write letters to the creators of Webkinz persuading them to use their particular animal as a Webkinz in the Wild animal, and suggest food choices, habitat, and a game that would show how to protect the animal from their enemies.

Fontichiaro, Kristin "[|Nudging toward Inquiry: Re-Envisioning the Animal Report]". School Library Media Activities Monthly. FindArticles.com. 10 Nov, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7729/is_200912/ai_n53926979/


 * Technology:** Teen Second Life

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 * Description:** This site provides an international virtual world for teenagers, ages 13-17. Depending on the users membership level, basic membership is free, he or she can buy land, create something on that land, sell products, build a house, etc. This site provides teens with the opportunity to make friends with someone half a world away. Teen Second Life is produced by Linden Labs, which works to ensure that only teens and the Linden Lab's staff are living in this virtual world.


 * Application for Educational Setting:** It is possible for users of Teen Second Life to buy land, build a store, design jewelry, sell jewelry, market jewelry (or any product). This would be a great exercise for students to use in a business or economics class. Users can also make friends with other teens around the world. This would provide them with an opportunity to learn about other cultures, religions, etc.


 * Name of Contributor:** Ann Dolbee, SLIS 5720


 * Technology:** Whyville

[|www.whyville.net]


 * Description:** Intended for students ages 8 – 15 years. Students can become a citizen in a virtual world known as “Whyville” where students can participate in educational, “hands on” activities. Most activities require students to apply critical thinking and problem solving skills and some activities are designed to be completed cooperatively with other “citizens.” In addition, as part of a community, students can also participate in civic and commercial activities and learn about health and nutrition; Whyville even has a newspaper. Several colleges have begun to use Whyville as part of their teacher training program to model the use of this type of emerging technology.


 * Application in education setting:** Teachers (and librarians) can create accounts that allow them to create classes and have students register in their class. Once in Whyville, students can visit the Bioplex to learn about viruses and even make a vaccine. They can also take a dive along the Whyreef and “photograph” some of its inhabitants, and then they answer questions to identify and learn more about the different organisms living there. Students can also take a virtual field trip to learn about works of art in the Getty Museum’s collection or visit the Skyscout Planetarium to view constellations. Students can also visit places like the power plant, the sports stadium, and even WASA (Whyville Aeronautics and Space Administration).


 * Contributor:** Michael Turner