Knowledge Adventure, an educational software company, releases new 3D virtual world software today and plans to start selling an online version in July, according to this article.
Knowledge Adventure is not a start-up, but is a spin-out from Vivendi and has deep experience and expertise in the area of educational software. In the CNET article CEO David Lord states:
“We are very skilled at building software products for kids, with immersive 3D play, gaming, and adventure-based learning. (This new software) is not a hangout place–it’s an immersive environment,”
However, children face dangers in using these new virtual worlds, in the same article a child advocate claims:
“For example, kids as young as 5 or 6 years have been known to use virtual worlds as a way to “cyber bully” peers, she said. And they’ll figure out how to do it within the parameters of the environment. A child might name a virtual room after another child that he or she wants to ridicule, e.g., “Mary is fat.”"
However, JumpStart alleviates this problem by providing a platform for parental participation:
JumpStart’s preschool software is heavy on participation from parents–and it will be the same when the company introduces its online component in July, Lord said. For example, parents can upload family photos into the virtual world, or send messages to their child in the world.
The idea of accelerated learning in a virtual world could help revolutionize education, especially if it empowers busy families to get their pre-schoolers learning before they start school. Educational software has had only limited appeal so far, in part because it is often based on text (along with some colorful images thrown-in), but improved graphics makes enriched 3D media environments possible and tying these environments into an online social world could create a platform for learning beyond the boundaries of school and family.
