Thursday, January 04, 2007

"Welcome to the New You" SLJ article on Second Life

40,000 teenagers "live" in Teen Second Life (TSL), a 3-D digital environment created by Linden Lab and targeted at youth ages 13 to 17. Is a teen in YOUR community one of them?

What does Teen Second Life (TSL) have to do with gaming? The navigation through the 3-D interface is very similar to playing a video game. TSL can be compared to the a sandbox style game where the user creates his or her own experience. Although TSL is not competitive or focused on set goals and objectives like the Sims or Madden '07 (although, some locations in TSL have games, objectives or contests as you move through the space), it is a game, as defined by Merriam-Webster: an "
activity engaged in for diversion or amusement."

TSL is much more than a diversion though--Kelly Czarnecki, Teen Librarian at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) in Charlotte, NC calls it "a Web presence that helps teens develop positive identities, take charge of their lives, and assume leadership roles as world citizens, " which drew her interest in connecting TSL to library services.

The article details the Teen Loft's leap into TSL as well as other school/community/library partnerships that are taking place virtually, making an excellent case for developmental needs met and literacy activities pursued in the space.

Check out the article by Kelly at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6403251.html
or in the January 2006 issue of School Library Journal.

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