BP4_Web 2.0 Tool

            The web 2.0 tool that I chose to explore is Shidonni. After creating student accounts, this site allows children to create an imaginary pet and an environment for then live it. They can do this by drawing it on the Smart Board or using a mouse. Once their drawings are created they become animated and come to life in the virtual world they create. The pet can either walk or fly, depending on the option chosen by the student. This is perfect for my kindergarteners. Words and stories can also be added. This process encourages creativity and a prompt for students to write their own stories. Students can continue to interact with their pets by dressing them and feeding them. Caring for their very own unique virtual pet promotes a sense of responsibility. This site also provides a service of creating a custom-made toy from the drawings made by the students. I would use this feature to create one pet made by all students for our classroom. It is a wonderful way to show students the results of teamwork. Shamir and Korat (2007) investigated the use of electronic books to support literacy development. Their study found that these books did help improve literacy development and that the improvement was partly do to the meaningful context of the story reading. I feel that having students use a site such as Shidonni and create their own stories creates intrinsic motivation for this literacy development in the same successful way found to be true with electronic books.

            Shidonni not only promotes computer literacy skills it also provides a safe platform for students to become engaged and creative. One of the social aspects of this site is the ability for students to invite friends to play and share creations. This safe environment only makes this possible for children who know each other’s usernames to connect. Pets can also be integrated into games where prizes are new art tools to use and create with. This site is a child’s stepping-stone into the virtual world, where their creativity comes to life.

Shamir, A., & Korat, O. (2007). Developing an Educational E-Book for Fostering Kindergarten Children’s Emergent Literacy. Computers in the Schools, 24(1/2), 125-143. doi:10.1300/J025v24n0109.