Socializing

A few people commented about Neopets after seeing my presentation and were wondering what educational value this site has and how it relates to communities and learning. First, Neopets DOES have many education aspects that I've thought could be used in the classroom. There are math games, writing contests and a stock market! You can own a shop and keep track of inventory and profits. You can have a bank account and calculate your interest. You can play a game like the common "Lemonade Stand" where you have to buy materials and furnish a store to try and make a profit. (Even I have yet to master that game). There are numerous opportunities for writing/drawing/cartooning and learning html and designing skills! Even though my guild is primarily social, we DO work on projects and help eachother (tutor, if you will or form apprenticeships) with things on the site. The site also offers things called PLOTS that have complex puzzles you must solve. One of these recent plots involved Astronomy! They almost always have complex math problems and logic problems. So, I would definately say the site has some good educational challenges for young players...and they often stump the adults too!