Journal 3

Yoder, M.B. (2009). Walk, Fly, or Teleport to Learning: Virtual Worlds in the Classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 37(2). Retrieved on October 8, 2009 from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=September_October_No_2_3&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4381&ContentID=24200&DirectListComboInd=D


Virtual Worlds now offer students and educators with innovative ways to engage in digital experiences that are fun and educational. Global Kids and GAmePill have partnered to create socially conscious games that present the "players" with real life situations such as poverty, food shortage, discrimination, poor housing, among other community and vulnerable population issues. They are encourage to create and develop action plans in order to solve this problems. The success of these digital experiences occurs when the player becomes aware of the problems that affect their community and the world, they realize the power an individual can have in real life situations and the chances of a more humane and promising future increases.
What population can benefit from this type of resources?
Everyone can benefit from this type of virtual experiences. Not only can students and educators participate in changing some of the social problems but also gives them a better understanding of the effect of poverty on education, housing and vulnerable population,
How can students coming from vulnerable populations, poverty benefit from these virtual worlds?
By having more informed peers, the chances to receive help from them will increase. A child in a poverty/ vulnerable population would feel more understood, more resources will open up to him and levels of academic achievement would probably increase as well, because it would a group of people working towards a common goal, rather than a single child struggling to achieve academic success.