Real Kids in a Virtual World
Abstract: As an educator who has been utilizing virtual worlds as a tool for education for the past five years, I was given the opportunity to create a world which could be open yet safe for children. In the fall of 2012 I introduced this virtual world to children aged 6-13. After this, a classroom teacher brought her 5th and 6th grade students to Bio-se Biome, an OpenSim-based 3D educational virtual world. This world consists of four areas based on Earth Systems Science and a fifth area dedicated to Native American Studies. This presentation will share some of the tips, successes and difficulties we had in doing this. After this experience, I feel there is great potential in using virtual worlds with younger children that has not yet been realized. By sharing my experience I hope to encourage others to investigate the possibility of utilizing virtual worlds for K-12 education.