Webkinz

For an assignment for my class CED551: Virtual Worlds in Education, I was asked to explore the world of Webkinz. To begin with, I had never heard of Webkinz before. I have had very little experience when it comes to virtual worlds. I have had the opportunity to briefly explore some other virtual worlds out there, and it is very exciting. However, this blog is going to stick to Webkinz.

I adopted an American Cocker Spaniel named Zucke. Some cool things happened when I adopted Zucke. I got an Adoption Certificate. I also got a pet biography so I could learn about some things that Zucke likes - like foods and hobbies. I also thought that Webkinz did a nice job of introducing me to its world. I was able to watch a help video by Ms. Birdy to explain how to get started on Webkinz. It was very easy to understand. Children would have no problem figuring out what to do on Webkinz.

I wanted to spend some time exploring Webkinz myself before introducing Zucke to my 5th grade students. Even though I'm an adult, I have to admit that I enjoy my time spent in Webkinz. There is so much to do. I didn't want to spend any money right away. So, I spent most of my time having fun and playing games. By playing the games, I earned KinzCash. KinzCash is necessary to be able to buy things in Webkinz. I have to admit some of the games were a little tricky, but fun nonetheless.

Some other neat little features in Webkinz are being able to visit Dr. Quack's Clinic for a checkup or heading to the Employment Office for a job. I think the most educational place in Webkinz has to be Quizzy's Corner. You can earn KinzCash for answering questions in different subject areas based on certain age groups.

So, after spending time exploring Webkinz it was time to introduce Zucke to my students. This is where the difficulties set in. My students were excited to learn that I adopted a class pet. I few them even told me that they have pets of their own. However, I was not able to share Zucke with my students. I have a SMART Board in my classroom with mounted projector. Due to the screen resolution or some other reason, the entire screen of the Webkinz website did not show up on the SMART Board and there was no scroll bar or any way for me to navigate around the website. I know this may not make sense because I am having a hard time explaining it. Just know that I spent a lot of time trying to get it to work, and I could not do it. For this reason, I could not show off Zucke to my students. After school on Friday, a fellow teacher came it to help me figure out my problem and I think I figured it out. So, I do plan to share Zucke with my students in the very near future.

Since some of my students were familiar with Webkinz, I asked them what they thought of it. They all said that they like Webkinz because it is fun, you can take care of your own pet, and you can play games. They also mentioned that they also enjoy another website called Club Penguin. I think I might have to look into that.

Finally, after all of my exploring I decided it was time to spend some money. So, I went shopping at the W Shop to decorate Zucke's room. As a teacher, I decided to make Zucke's room a classroom. As I make more money, I plan to add more desks and keep on decorating. Here is a picture:

More to come as I keep exploring in Webkinz!!