Second Life

Second Life is an online, virtual, three dimensional world created by Linden Lab. Users can meet interact, play, dance, communicate, attend class, shop and explore virtual environments with people they know if real life as well as meeting others and making friends in a virtual world.

Second Life offers multi-sensory experiences, and therefore, has met the educational needs for some learners. In Second Life, individuals can communicate with others, visit museum and libraries, participate in a class, learn a second language, and much more! This type of learning environment can benefit students because users can:

• Log on when it is convenient
  
• Find tutorials that meet individual learning modalities
  
• Share knowledge with others
  
• Seek topics of personal interest

As with any digital learning tool, young learners need to be monitored. Filters cannot control the actions and comments from other users. Also, there are many locations that are not child appropriate. Teen Second Life http://teen.secondlife.com/ is a resource similar to Second Life, but is targeted for individuals age 13-17. Again, this has potential to be an appropriate learning tool; however, children need to have a background in media literacy as well as adult supervision while participating in virtual worlds.

Gaming

I believe, games challenge students to take risks, collaborate and interact with peers, and engage prior knowledge. The idea of games supplementing the curriculum is not a new idea, and some new curriculums use games as a foundation for teaching basic skills. Technology is just the newest venue for games in the academic environment. As educators, it is our job to chose games appropriate in content and academic value; however, it is also key to teach digital natives emphasize concerns involving the online world.

• Time management
  
• Sharing personal information
  
• Content evaluation

Games bring together a variety of factors in life such as competition, challenges, communication, interaction, and problem solving. If done appropriately, games can encourage students to take risks. It is also safe place to sportsmanship and a variety of social skills. Games also have the potential to spark interest in a topic for further personal research.

Social Media

Interaction in a digital environment is more than just a modern fad. It is making the world a smaller place, bridging language barriers, and based in personal interest. For digital immigrants, this is an advanced version of communication, and it appears to be gaining popularity. For digital natives, this plays a major role in their daily communication. There are many positive aspects to healthy social media interaction including:

1. self exploration of topics according to interest
   
2. communicate in a variety of mediums
   
3. connect with people who share similar interests

With anything good, comes the bad, too. Parents are often out-of-touch with the technology or content exposure. Social media demands parents and educators to address media literacy beginning at a young age. Another concern is the lack of physical exertion due to the volume of time spent “plugged in”. Again, parents need to encourage healthy lifestyle choices, and emphasize the importance of making good choices, and if necessary buy a wii fitness, and make it a family event. Lastly, time spent online needs to be monitored. Moderation and time management skills are essential topics for discussion.