In his last August post for bNet S@vvy, guest blogger/ed tech expert Kevin Jarrett again encourages parents and teachers to embrace the best of social technology, so that we can better understand and nurture our kids/students. This time he points us to a site that helps kids have fun learning financial responsibility — through virtual reality. — Ed.
It’s a rainy summer weekend here, perfect conditions for some indoor play. Now more than ever, technology drives kids’ home activity choices, whether they involve television, console games, handhelds, laptop/desktop computers or other personal electronics.
When it comes to computer-based fun, kids these days spend their time with Webkinz (girls, typically) or Runescape (more popular with boys) or perhaps Poptropica (enjoyed by both). You might be wondering “there must be some fun virtual worlds that are truly educational, too.” Am I right?
Well, I’d like to tell about a free, fun educationally-focused virtual world that teaches kids about money, economics, how to manage a budget and more. It’s called Minyanland.com and it’s totally free!
Quoting from the Minyanland “About” page, “MinyanLand is a virtual community designed to engage kids and families in games and interaction that is entertaining and educational.” The focus is financial education and economics so it’s very real-world. There are jobs, banks, investments, businesses, organizations – all waiting for kids to interact with and explore. Quoting further:
We created MinyanLand as a platform to entertain and educate a young generation so they understand the concept of a market and the basics of economics and finance on a real world level. The economic system of MinyanLand mimics the real-life pricing of general goods and services. As players participate in the system, their actions will affect the overall MinyanLand economy. This is how they will learn. To keep the economy stabilized, for instance, players must stay healthy by eating on a regular basis. MinyanLand will also offer incentives to encourage such behavior as charitable giving.
Let’s take a closer look!
Kids work jobs that require them to use, among other things, math and reasoning skills:
They learn about the value of money and the concept of investments:
And they interact in immersive 2D spaces that combine nifty graphics with recorded, realistic environmental sounds that make the experience incredibly lifelike (I love the ambient sounds in the diner below!):
Internet safety is paramount at Minyanland, and the chat system (partially shown above) helps ensure that messaging is limited to the context of the game and that no personally-identifiable information is shared. Parent accounts are also linked to children accounts, as well, as they are encouraged to use the site with their children, setting up an “allowance” paid within Minyanland for chores done IN REAL LIFE! Kids do the work and get rewarded with money in Minyanland that they can use how they wish – to invest, save, spend, or even donate to charity. How cool is that? Some states, particularly New Jersey, are mandating instruction in personal financial literacy – Minyanland is a great way to introduce and develop those exact same skills at home!
Let’s be honest here and admit that for some, the rampant “consumerism” might be a bit over the top. Keep in mind however that Minyanland is an environment designed expressly to educate children about money, community, finance and investments, which, last time I checked, is critical knowledge in the world we live in. Minyanland makes it all fun! More importantly, it’s a great chance for parents and kids to spend time together on a rainy Saturday afternoon, learning and exploring together!
Guest blogger Kevin Jarrett is a parent, teacher, and ed tech expert from Northfield, NJ.
Click here for more of Kevin’s bNetS@vvy work.
On the heels of our recent content on Online Gaming here’s an interesting article on gaming addiction I saw in the April 20th issue of the Washington Post, Study Finds Some Youths ‘Addicted’ to Video Games. According to the study, researcher Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University found that 8.5 percent of American youths ages 8 to 18 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioral addiction. As you read you will find that other experts in addiction question the findings of the study. We at bNetS@vvy would be interested in hearing your thoughts and ideas on gaming addition.
The new NSTeens video, “Attitude Overdrive,” has corresponding Intermediate and Middle School Activity Cards that can be used by educators, counselors, and parents. Click to view the activity card for Intermediate School and Middle School. To view the video “Attitude Overdrive” or other NSTeens videos go to NSTeens.org.
Internet safety expert Sharon Cindrich (http://www.pluggedinparent.com) interviews two youngsters – Henry, a sixth grader, and Maddie, a ninth grader, about their gaming activity.
Do you like playing video games with friends or by yourself?
Maddie: I like playing video games, usually with my friends. I don’t like it when it’s just me alone. I like to have the video game that I am playing be more social. So maybe when I go to a party or something we all have a Guitar Hero tournament. Or maybe we will play each other in a Wii tennis match. Games are more fun that way.
Henry: I love playing video games. I like it when I play by myself. That way I can concentrate on the game. I think it’s better and more fun that way.
Which kind do you like to play better: online, video or computer games?
Maddie: I like video games that have a lot of action. I don’t like games where you have to get a bunch of tasks done just to get to another level. I just want to know what happens next! It’s kind of like watching a movie. It can’t be too long or too short otherwise, I just lose interest.
Henry: I like playing video games because I think they can be much more fun. I don’t like playing online games sometimes, because they can be less exciting and there are a lot of violent games online. I like computer games, too, especially Rome Total War because it’s historic and has a lot of action.
[Ed. Note: Henry is referring to the difference between online games -- games that exist online at sites like miniclip.com - and computer games, games you buy in a box and install on your computer or play from a disc on your computer drive.]
What are the good things kids get out of playing video games?
Maddie: Definitely strategy and hand-eye coordination are the two important things that kids can use in the future. Plus, they are a lot of fun.
Henry: The good things kids can get out of video games are hand-eye coordination and computer skills. You can also learn about history on some games. The only other thing is fun and a lot of it. Playing games can be a big stress relief.
Are there any downsides to playing games?
Maddie: Too much of anything is bad for you. So if you play video games too much you could end up growing into the couch and being labeled as a “couch potato”.
Henry: You can get easily addicted to video games. Sometimes you can’t get your work done at school because you’re too busy thinking about video games. Same thing goes for homework. Also, some games are too violent and they can really bother kids.
Do you think games have changed the way you learn? How?
Maddie: Rarely do I find myself thinking about video games when I’m trying to learn. I don’t think I can see any ways where playing games could influence my learning good or bad.
Henry: It can teach you what’s good or what’s bad. Some games can be very historic. There are some games used for learning online, but they are usually kind of boring.
What should parents know about gaming and kids?
Maddie: It’s not really what parents should know about gaming — it is what they should know about their kids. Parents should be able to trust their children enough to know that the content displayed in the video games should not influence their behavior. With that being said, it’s always a good idea for parents to research any kind of media that their child is viewing to make sure it’s appropriate for them.
Henry: If kids are playing games online, you can sometimes chat with other players and that’s okay if you’re playing with a friend. But if you’re playing with people you don’t know, they might swear. In some games, if you say bad words you can get kicked out. Parents should check out what their kids are playing. Parents can check the history of the computer to find out what game sites their child has been playing on, too.
A bNetS@vvy Interview with parent Rich Wood.
Q: You are a father who is savvy about and enjoys online technology, like gaming. Tell us about your tech knowledge and how it compares to that of your sons.
A: I’ve spent the last 20 years in front of a computer. I first used Apple Macintoshes when they debuted in 1984. I like digital gadgets of all kinds. iPods, GPS, digital cameras. I’m on Facebook. I really want a supercool smartphone.
Yet my two sons, ages 10 and 13, are wired in ways I couldn’t imagine when I was their age, in the era of Pong and Radio Shack TR(a)S(h) 80 computers. If we let them, William and Henry would spend all day dinking around with the iMac. Or the Wii. Or their mom’s iBook. Or my Windows laptop. Or on their iPods, or our Flip camera or my Canon digital SLR. My wife, a kindergarten teacher at a low-income school, says third-graders who don’t have computers at home have their own MySpace pages.
Our sons, like the kids at my wife’s school, have been wired since the age of 2.
Q: Within limits, you do allow your kids to play games, like on Wii or games they can access via computers and mobile devices. You’re comfortable with giving them some freedom online, so long as you and your wife monitor their activity. In your opinion, what role do parents play in this online, digital world our kids inhabit?
A: We’re in a time of transition. I’m a GenXer. We helped invent this stuff, yet it still seems so new. We’re adapting. The new generation, the Millennials, they don’t know any other way. But both generations are learning:
- William logged on to our eBay account. It was easy. We’d set up the automatic eBay login. William waited until there was 30 seconds left, and then bid $500 on a Wii (about twice retail). I e-mailed the seller and explained that William was 10 and did not have $500. The guy understood and went with the back-up bidder. Lesson: Manually log in to sites like eBay, and don’t tell your kids your password. (A few weeks later, we bought a Wii at a bricks-and-mortar retail store for the regular price.)
- When Henry was seven, he had a friend over. They Googled Bob the Builder. They put an extra O in Bob. Hours after the friend went home, his mom called and described the Triple-X Web site her son had been exposed to at our house. Lesson: Teach your kids to spell. Seriously, invest in some good filtering software, hover over your kids’ shoulder (not very practical) or accept the fact that kids today are going to see and hear things that we’d rather keep secret. If they do see and hear those things, then talk to them about it!
Soon, we’re going to talk about appropriate ways to create alter egos in the online, interactive Mii part of Nintendo’s Wii.
Q; You seem so comfortable with your kids’ online activity. You’re informed enough to know that you need to talk to them about what’s appropriate in the world of interactive, online gaming, for example. What some might see as a threat, you see as an opportunity, given responsible parental oversight.
A: Yes. Creating alter egos for the Mii part of Wii, that’s a chance to talk about race, gender and stereotypes. With the Wii Mii, you create new people from existing parts, kind of like a digital Mr. Potato Head (PLAYSKOOL actually has an online Mr. Potato Head coloring game for pre-schoolers).
And who knows what’s next? Maybe in a few years, William and Henry will become video game programmers or create the next YouTube or Facebook.
Q: What advice do you have for parents who want to learn more about helping kids game safely?
- Don’t buy your kids excessively or gratuitously violent video games. Kids don’t have a natural predisposition for violent games, so why encourage them? (We apply the same principle to movies.)
- Put the computer or game console in a prominent, public place in your house. That makes it easier to keep on an eye on what your kids are doing. Bedrooms are bad.
- There are a lot of free, Web-based games, such as addictinggames.com. Avoid the violent ones (see above). But many of the games are silly and simple, and they’re free. You don’t have to spend $50 to have fun. Pbskids.org/games is a great site and no violent games.
- Limit the amount of time your kids play video games, whether it’s on the Web, CD-based or on their game console. They DO have better things to do.
- Play video games with your kids. Some of the basic Wii games, like baseball and bowling, are so simple even adults can play them. (Super Smash Bros. Brawl? It’s way too frenetic and fast-moving for your typical 40-year-old.)
Q: Can you please define a few relevant gaming terms for our audience?
Rich Wood’s Gaming Glossary:
- Mii: A cartoon-like character, or alter-ego, created on the Nintendo Wii. Miis can interact via the Internet.
- Flip camera: A small digital video camera with four buttons that can retail for $129.99. It can upload videos to YouTube in three steps and 10 minutes.
- Sims: The ultra-popular computer game that allows players to create characters, cities and families, among other social constructs.
- Super Smash Brothers Brawl and Mario Cart: Remember roly-poly Mario from Donkey Kong, the 1980s arcade game? He’s still around in these current Nintendo Wii games.
A former newspaper reporter, Rich Wood is media specialist and an organizer for the Washington Education Association. His wife is a kindergarten teacher and an NEA member.
Selected gaming quotations from the author’s sons, William and Henry (ages 10 and 13)
- William: “My favorite games are Super Smash Brothers brawl and Mario Cart. They’re fun. They just are.
- William on Web-based games: “You hear about them from friends and kids at school. Then we Google them to find them.”
- William on store-bought CD games: “I like Zoo Tycoon and the Sims. You get to build stuff.”
- William: “My Mii looks like me.”
- Henry: I go to friends’ houses and play the games. Then I ask my Dad to buy them.”
- Henry: I don’t like glitches, like when the games don’t work. The manual doesn’t tell you anything. We try the games on someone else’s Wii.”
- Henry: “My favorite Wii game is Mario Cart because I like to race people. I race people from other countries on the Internet. You have a profile and it has your Mii. You can do it on Guitar Hero, too, but it doesn’t tell you their country.”
- Henry: “I like addictinggames.com. Because they’re addicting!”
- Henry: My friends tell me about YouTube videos, like “How to be Ninja.” The funny ones. People acting really dumb.”
- Henry: “It’s not very hard (to make a movie). We made comedies with our cousins.”
Ed. Note: The article and sidebar above contain references to brand-name devices and games. These references reflect the experiences and viewpoints of the authors and do not reflect any official endorsement or recommendation on the part of bNetS@vvy.
As an ITF/Media Specialist, I could begin this piece with a long explanation of the journey I have taken the past five years in the multi-user virtual world of Second Life. I could explain how I struggled to get my administrators and teachers to “buy-in” to this new 3-D online frontier, and then I might pontificate upon the majestic learning that happens there every day. I could continue with a treatise on digital learners and how their needs are different and finally provide a long list of recommended readings that say it all over again, with more syllables. But no– let’s start simple — let’s keep it simple.
Virtual Worlds (also known as multi-user virtual environments or muves) have been around long enough now to become mainstream in our children’s online culture. Whether it is your 6 year-old playing in Webkins or Club Penguin, your 9 year-old in Disney’s Toon Town or your teen in Teen Second Life, Habbo Hotel, or There.com, kids are in these worlds – and they are not leaving!
So what’s the appeal? Why have muves become the new playground for scores of kids as well as adults? Because they are visually rich, engaging, and most of all, social! Kids do not want to be isolated; they want to belong. They prefer a certain level of anonymity because of all the uncertainty and insecurity that accompanies the road to adulthood. Muves allow for this. Proprietors of these worlds encourage safety and security measures for kids. In fact, they usually outline rules and requirements about privacy quite clearly in their terms of service.
Concerns I often hear voiced from parents and teachers who are faced with trying to compete with muves for their child’s attention are often fear-based and misdirected. The press has taken a sensational slant to nurture the dark side of the Internet and now they have extended that focus to virtual worlds, convincing uninitiated caregivers that there is a pedophile lurking around every virtual corner and a bully behind every keystroke!
Teachers worry that this time spent at the computer has preempted reading and writing (i.e. literacy), and that muves are denying kids the socialization that real world exchanges provide. I would counter that argument with the fact the media literacy is a primary factor to success in the 21st century, and that virtual worlds are providing the context in which to learn.
Parents are befuddled with the level of engagement and focus their kids can devote to the virtual world, when they can’t seem to extract a complete sentence from them at the dinner table. Based upon my personal experience, and that I have had with 1400 middle school students, as well as their teachers, let me venture to offer a few basic suggestions to help guide your understanding.
1. Start out with a bank of unbiased information, — do your homework! Read about the different worlds and their specific capabilities. Find out which age group is the primary target audience and how much security (or lack of) the platform enforces. Look to see if the interface is well supported and whether or not the content is creative, interactive, and engaging. Look for the learning that occurs within the context of play.
2. Provide choices! Have your child try a few different worlds. Let your child direct their own experience but keep an eye out for any inordinate level of frustration or, conversely, of the dreaded plague of boredom.
3. Involvement with your child’s online activity is key! Muves, just like any other online activity require PARENTAL SUPERVISION! Set a timer if you are concerned about over use. Sit down with your child and have them explain what they are doing and why they like it. Play with them! (What a novel idea!)
4. Join list-serves and websites that surround the virtual world, in order to stay educated and share your ideas and questions with a like-minded group. Encourage your child to contribute to wikis and in-world postings (they’ll practice reading, writing, and socialization).
5. Model healthy habits. Let your child see you get up from the computer and take a bike ride, go to a park (bring the dog), plant a garden, read a book, paint, play music, dance, sing, build a birdhouse, bake a pie, build a sandcastle, walk in the woods, build a snowman, throw a party, throw a ball…you get it?
Schools are just not able to provide your kids the degree of instruction in literacy skills demanded by the media-rich, abundant information landscape that is available to them. They are trying — and a few are on their way — but for the most part they are strangled in systemic demands for compliance with standardized testing which breeds standardized teaching. You have a golden opportunity here to bond, to have fun, and to guide your child’s experience with the technology tools and skills that will serve them well in their future that is under construction.
Peggy Sheehy serves as ITF/ Media Specialist at Suffern Middle School, Suffern, NY. She is a fierce advocate for the meaningful infusion of technology in education and has presented her work with education in Teen Second Life at the Tech Expo, NYSCATE, NECC, EdNet, and the Tech Forum NY. As a true pioneer in virtual world education, she is sought out for advice, curriculum direction and professional development. Her vision encompasses a globally collaborative 3-D virtual world campus where learning is student-centered, product-based, playful, and creative. See her blog here: http://ramapoislands.edublogs.org
Our focus this issue is on gaming – what does that mean in a Web 2.0 age? We’re not talking Monopoly, kickball or even Ms. Pac Man anymore; when people talk about “gaming,” they mean computer games, online games, and virtual reality games. What do parents and teachers need to know about gaming, and how can they use that knowledge to help kids “game” smartly and safely?
This issue tackles those questions from a variety of viewpoints. In From the Experts, Internet safety expert Sharon Cindrich discusses the pros and cons of children gaming for education and entertainment. In Parents’ Corner, parent Rich Wood gives us his perspective on how to responsibly parent kids who love to game. Our Teacher’s Desk piece features Peg Sheehy, an ITF/Media Specialist and virtual world educator, explaining how virtual world “gaming” can help prepare students for 21st century success. And in our Youth Voices segment Internet safety expert Sharon Cindrich interviews youngsters Henry and Maddie about why they love gaming, and how they work with adults to stay safe.
We’ll continue to cover the topic of gaming and kids’ safety here at bNetS@vvy; you’ll find ongoing information at the Gaming section of our site. We also suggest that you check out Common Sense Media’s Games page, to help you select appropriate games for your child and keep your gaming child safer online. You may also want to visit Microsoft’s public service website Get Game Smart or peruse their list of tips for parents of gamers which includes advice for helping kids cope with gaming cyberbullies and “griefers.”
Be sure also to take a look at some new downloadable, easy-to-print tools now featured on bNetS@vvy. Each tool was created by the Family Online Safety Institute, a leader in Internet safety efforts.
- A Family Online Safety Contract, to help parents establish rules and set limits for their children’s online activity.
- A Children’s Bill of Rights for the Internet, to help kids see that they deserve and should demand safety online.
- The Parents’ Child Protection Guide for the Internet, which offers “Ten Things You Can Do Today to Protect Your Children on the Internet.”
Thanks for reading, and let us know about your tips/strategies for gaming, and Internet/social technology safety. We’re always looking for new contributors to bNetS@vvy, and we invite you to share your stories with us by emailing internetsafety@nea.org. Together we can help young teens make the most of technology – more safely.
Sincerely,
Mary Esselman, editor, bNetS@vvy
Walk into any school classroom today and there’s a good chance you’ll find children playing educational games – video games, computer games and online games.
What started with Pac Man and a game of Pong has turned into a 21 billion dollar industry producing games that incorporate sophisticated strategies, spectacular graphic effects and multi-layer, multi-player gaming platforms.
Gaming is almost impossible to avoid in today’s tech-saturated world. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 65 percent of households play computer or video games, and many children have had quite a bit of practice with the mouse or game joystick before they even hit kindergarten. But, is this a bad thing?
”In my experience, today’s kindergarten class is equally divided by those that are exposed to gaming and those that are not,” says Stacey Kannenberg, parenting expert and author of Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten. Kannenberg charges that gaming, while entertaining, actually helps develop fine motor skills, primes a child for computer learning and uses repetition to teach basic skills. ”The children who are not exposed to the computer might have slower motor skills in the areas of coloring and cutting with a scissors.”
Part of the reason for an increase in digital game-savvy kindergarteners is their parents, explains Kannenberg. “More and more parents are realizing the value of gaming because many of today’s parents are digital natives who grew up during the evolution of gaming.”
In many cases, teachers are using digital games as teaching tools for traditional subjects and finding that children are motivated beyond the basic objectives of the game to challenge themselves past their typical skill ability. “Young kids are playing sophisticated games with layers of learning,” says Kannenberg, adding that a child who earns digital coins in a game to take care of and feed her digital pet doesn’t even realize she’s learning. “You have to ask yourself, what would you rather do: sit at your desk and listen to your teacher talk about the value of coins or play a computer game that teaches the same thing by allowing you to earn and spend money?”
Tracey Christman, an education columnist and mother of two, was thrilled when a computer game helped her son with math. “My son had difficulty memorizing his math facts and we used a computer game program to help him practice,” says Christman, who is also a school psychologist for Milwaukee Public Schools. “I think some games online are wonderful, engaging, challenging, and reinforce the targets for the grade. My son would have never learned his math facts without the aid of a computer program.”
While there’s no denying the educational benefits, gaming also presents parents and teachers with unprecedented challenges. Despite the fact that over half of digital games purchased in 2008 were rated “E” for “everyone” (6 years and up), or E10+ for “everyone 10 years and up,” content is a concern.
“Let’s face it there are many violent and inappropriate games on the market that could be detrimental in the development of a young child,” says Kannenberg.
Christman agrees. “A huge negative for me as a parent and professional is the use of realistic violence in games. The games kids play can involve killing people, hurting people. Exposure to this level of violence is not part of the normal development of children and comes out in their play, drawings, and stories.”
Even non-violent games are a worry for parents. Amanda Robison, a mother of two children ages 9 and 12, believes gaming affects her children’s behavior. “I see a direct correlation between my kids’ bad behavior and the amount of time they spend in front of game screens. They get crabby and irritable, very much like when they haven’t gotten enough sleep.” Robison also has concerns about her children’s activity levels, and sets time limits in order to help them mix up their activities. “Gaming – working on the computer – is addicting, and both kids are less active than they used to be,” says Robison.
So what is a concerned parent to do? Practice good old-fashioned parenting: set limits, define boundaries, and enforce rules. This takes vigilance, foresight, and the ability to communicate clearly, all of which, of course, can be exhausting. The rewards, however, are more than worth the effort. When it comes to online gaming safety, sticking to clearly defined rules is of paramount importance if kids – and their parents – hope to enjoy the benefits of educational (and entertaining) games.
While it has been difficult, Robison believes that consistent parental guidance teaches children another important skill – to be cautious and critical when it comes to digital games. “Through educational and monitored child-friendly network opportunities, [my children] have become savvy and smart technology users! We are cautious parents who always do our homework with regard to what’s age and developmentally appropriate and still fits our moral compass – we try to keep games with weapons at a minimum!”
Over time, Robison feels consistently enforcing her family values and boundaries when making gaming choices has helped teach her children to do the same – a critical competence that will come into play as they become more independent. “By now, enough time has passed that our kids have shown us they are consistently conscientious and careful, too.”
Sharon Miller Cindrich is a mom, the author of E-Parenting: Keeping Up With Your Tech-Savvy Kids (Random House 2007) and the syndicated column “Plugged In Parent” featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide. Learn more at www.pluggedinparent.com <http://www.pluggedinparent.com> or www.sharonmillercindrich.com <http://www.sharonmillercindrich.com> .
Developed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Online Gaming Parent Tip Sheet gives you quick and simple tips for guiding your child as they explore the world of online gaming. This handy tip sheet can be downloaded and posted next to the computer to remind both you and your child how to make their online gaming experience fun and safer. Click on the link below to go to the Tip Sheet.
gaming_getgamesmart
Hopefully you haven’t had to tighten your belt these past few months, but chances are you like most of us have felt the effects of this global economic event. What you may not have realized is that kids are becoming aware that that the economy is effecting them too. How so? Sure they may not be paying bills or aware of mortgage payments, but activities like going to the movies, vacations, even prom night have them feeling the pinch.
Rather than going out on the weekends or going to the mall, more and more kids are having friends over and going on-line through their computer or video games. Infact, the state of the economy has had little to no effect on video games sales, an industry - which is still growing – that is quickly garnering the recession proof moniker. Staying in, inviting friends over, and going online can be a great way to entertain the neighborhood kids on a shoestring budget, but remember that for every action there is a reaction.
When friends are over and on-line:
- Take an active interest in what they are doing but remember to respect their privacy. Set clear boundaries that your kids will understand, adhere to, and respect
- Talk to the other parents or guardians who host your kids about how they monitor the group
- We recommend that the computer be in a semi-public room like a family room or den and not a bedroom
- Use this time as an opportunity for the kids to teach you. Engage them and ask them questions, perhaps ask them to show you how to make a facebook account and ask them to be your friends
The mission of bNetS@vvy is to give YOU the tools and resources so you can teach your kids not so the kids can teach themselves.
