Togetherville.com

Choose a social networking site from the list below. Togetherville.com   What is the site's mission? (i.e. purpose of the community and its objectives).  “ Togetherville is a new type of online community specifically designed for kids 6 to 10. However, any kid under 13 can join. Kids play and connect with real-life friends and family in a safe, child-friendly place with parents and trusted adults close by, just like in a real neighborhood. The site mimics the experience of adult social networking sites, but it's age-appropriate and parent-monitored.” Who are the community's members? Children 13 and under (with parental consent and supervision) What are the guidelines for membership? Children must be under the age of 13, which is the start age for a child to join Facebook. What are the guidelines for adult involvement? (teachers, parents) Parents can log in through their Facebook account and view their child’s progress on Togetherville.  What features are included in this site? (e.g. message areas, discussion forums, blogs, chats, photo and video sharing, games, etc…)  “ Togetherville mimics adult social networks in a kid-appropriate way. Each neighborhood is built around each specific child and remains closed to outsiders. Kids have their own profile pages, complete with their photos. In Togetherville, kids can  • play games and brainteasers  • watch videos  • create artwork  • send and receive gifts  • update their status with pre-screened text phrases, called "quips," such as "Who is going to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid?" and "Aced the test. Oh yeah!!"  • send "safe" messages to friends and comment on or "Heart" their friends' activities.” Is there a clear rationale for the features that have been included? The features seem to be present to keep the children interested and contained in a safe environment where they can still communicate with their friends and classmates. In your opinion, can this site be used for an educational purpose? Can it be related to curriculum? Why or why not? At this point I don’t think this site could be used within a classroom, for educational purposes. There is hardly enough content to supply information, and since anyone over the age of 13 cannot access the site. If it can't be directly tied to curriculum, would you recommend it to parents? Would you let your own children use the site? Why or why not? I might recommend this site to the parents in my class because it allows their children to communicate with their peers while playing games and creating things, and as a great way to supervise their children online.