clubpenguin.com
Disney's Club Penguin is a virtual world where kids are able to interact with one another using their very own penguin avatar. With their friends, kids can do different kinds of activities, play games, and chat with each other. Kids can submit the artwork they create and share it with other "penguins." This site really takes safety seriously. They have people monitoring the online activity chat at all times. They also strongly encourage parental involvement. They even have their own little version of a neighborhood watch program where kids can apple to become Secret Agents and participate in keeping the site safe. Parents can even limit the amount of time their child spends at Club Penguin. They can either set a timer for that session or they can set a limit on the daily hours spent their. One great thing about this site is that it is free from third-party advertisers, so no ads will pop up while the kids are playing. For the most part the site is free, but there are some things you need to be a member for. They have something new each week for the members to explore.
This site goes right along with the chapter for obvious reasons in that it is a virtual world. The chapter briefly discusses this site under the heading Focus: Social; which is fitting because this site really holds no educational value to it. The chapter goes a little into the safety concern and this site is a great example to have of what safety in the virtual worlds can look like. This site also fits right in with what the chapter considers one of the most important reasons for virtual worlds: exploring creativity. Club Penguin lets kids do just that; they get to be create in creating their avatar and while doing the various activities.
Nicely written up!
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