Sales of Barbie, Liv, Moxie Girlz, and other dolls have declined 20% in the US since 2005, and kids as young as 8 and 9 are passing them up for the live "doll play" – or avatar play – of virtual worlds, the Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported, citing NPD Group figures. It tells of 8-year-old Paige, who says she finds playing with dolls boring after a while, and of a Manhattan dollmaker, who … [Read more...] about Avatars & virtual penguins vs. real-life dolls
play
WoW: The guild effect for teachers
There are lots of good reasons why an assistant superintendent of schools would start a guild in World of Warcraft (WoW) – all laid out in a fascinating profile of the Cognitive Dissonance Guild and its educator members in The Journal this month. But the reason why Catherine Parsons, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and pupil personnel services for Pine Plains Central School … [Read more...] about WoW: The guild effect for teachers
The power of play: Cyberbullying solution?
Stuart Brown, founder and director of the National Institute for Play in Carmel, Calif., tells the story of what happened between a hungry, 1,200-pound polar bear and a husky tied up at a camp near Hudson Bay, late one October day. The bear approached the group of dogs with his eyes fixed in a predatory stare. Amazingly, one of the huskies greets him in a "play bow," wagging her tail. Dr. Brown, a … [Read more...] about The power of play: Cyberbullying solution?