Virtual+Worlds

Quest Atlantis (QA) is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children in educational tasks. QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation. Participation in this game is designed to enhance the lives of children while helping them grow into knowledgeable, responsible, and empathetic adults. //Suitable for:// Ages 9-16 //Resources:// Quest Atlantis Educator Resources - [] Quest Atlantis Teaching - http://quest-atlantis-teaching.wikispaces.com/ || With over 5.9 million users, Whyville is the leading education-focused virtual world for teens and pre-teens. Launched in 1999, Whyville is a vibrant, kid-safe virtual city designed to engage young people in constructive educational activities while promoting socially responsible behavior. Inside Whyville, citizens learn about art history, science, journalism, civics, economics, and so much more. //Suitable for:// Grade 1 - Year 9 || Poptropica is a online game, targeted at children ages 6 to 15, where players can travel, play games, compete in head-to-head competition, and communicate safely with each other. There is a role-playing component as players are encouraged to finish "island missions" and get medallions. Poptropica was developed by the Family Education Network, a division of [|Pearson], which also owns kids’ site [|FunBrain.com]. //Suitable for:// Grade 1 - Year 8 || SecretBuilders is a virtual world for children 5 to 14 years old powered by a web 2.0 community of children, parents, educators, writers, artists and game developers. On SecretBuilders, children will explore virtual lands, undertake quests, play games, maintain a home, nurture a pet, and interact with their friends. //Suitable for:// Grade 1 - Year 7 //Resources:// Teacher Resources - [] || The core gameplay revolves around construction. The game world is essentially made up of cubical blocks arranged in a fixed grid pattern, that represent different materials, such as, dirt, stone, various ores, water, tree trunks, etc. While the players can move freely across the world, objects and items can only be placed at fixed locations relative to the grid. The player can gather these material "blocks" and place them elsewhere, thus potentially creating various constructions. Suitable for: All ages Resources: Learning with Minecraft - [] Minecraft is educational - [] Minecraft in school - [] How to teach with Minecraft in an hour - [] Minecraft in School Wiki - [] Morrowcraft - http://morrowcraft.wikispaces.com/ Minecraftedu - @http://minecraftedu.com/ Minecraft: Embracing the Inner Sandbox - @http://gamingmatter.com/GM/strats/Entries/2011/8/30_Minecraft__Embracing_the_inner_sandbox.html ||
 * < [[image:picture-4.png width="178" height="122"]] ||< Quest Atlantis
 * < [[image:http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/country/img/19231_whyvilleSquare.gif width="167" height="131"]] ||< Whyville
 * [[image:http://anakbawang.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/poptropica.png width="167" height="129"]] || Poptropica
 * [[image:http://cdn.venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/secret-builders-2.jpg width="171" height="134"]] || SecretBuilders
 * [[image:http://www.happypenguin.org/images/minecraft3.jpg width="185" height="184"]] || MineCraft