Second Life - Type Sites/Internet Safety Sites at bottom
Please read the blog page before considering using these sites. Please be
aware that some of these sites require more than registration; some may
require a download of an interface program in order to work,and some require a
subscription first, rather than just as an embellishment to the free portion
of their created world. Most sites have information you can read before you
sign up. Be aware that large, all-encompassing sites like Second Life mimic
the world; there are some places within it you may not wish to go. And I feel
that no child should ever go online to one of these sites unattended. I feel
that even if you just check in on them for a minute or two, and question what
their avatar is doing at the moment, is safer than just letting them go. And
like TV, time limits should be imposed. Parents, remember, the computer can be
unplugged, and most of the time, the plug wire is very portable...
Internet Links
Club Penguin - create a free penguin and do all the things available on the
island. With a subscription, the penguin can have an igloo and things can be
purchased with the coins received by playing the games. I have had a free
penguin for more than 5 years now. Lots of the students have a penguin. Great
for teaching basics of internet safety and the commercialism of the internet.
http://www.clubpenguin.com
The webkinz site. You have to purchase a Webkinz stuffed animal to get the
code to create an animal on the site. I am told that purchasing subsequent
animals extends the one year subscription of all previous animals owned by the
same child. Lots of students have this. Also available with purchase are
Beanie Baby 2.0 stuffed animals and Bratz dolls. They have codes to go
online, too.
http://www.webkinz.com
Wizard 101 - A popular site with students as of 2010-2011 school year. Another
type of ClubPenguin site.
http://wizard101.com
Millsbury. Quite a bit like second life, only completely for kids. Create a
more realistic avatar, and move about the city. Created by the General Mills
Co., there is an emphasis on a balanced diet and how to get it. Yet so far as
I have played, it is all free. I know of students who have gone on this.
http://www.millsbury.com
Runescape - the online fantasy role playing game people envision. I know of
some of our older students who have gone on this.
http://www.runescape.com
Top of the line - Second Life. You will need almost a new computer, and have
to download the interface. I don't recommend this for the kids yet. The
potential is there, but it is too much of a grown-up created world for the
moment. I see high school and especially college-age students using it. I do
not know of any of our students using it yet.
http://www.secondlife.com
Netsmartz for parents
Netsmartz for kids
Common Sense
Parent Further
Safe Kids
Other Resources
Believe it or not, wikis can be used for a great deal of information. Although
you should know that wikis are created by users, and may contain inaccuracies,
they are a great starting point for research.
Please see the wiki below for a complete definition of these on-line games, as
well as a complete list. You will need to copy the link and past it into the URL
line of your browser.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMORPG