Tip of the iceberg

Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Tip of the Iceberg: Meaning, Identity, and Literacy in Preteen Virtual Worlds Author(s): Eric M. Meyers Source: Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, Vol. 50, No. 4 (Fall 2009), pp.

226-236 Published by: Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40732585 Accessed: 24-04-2015 20:29 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40732585?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references.

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Tip of the Iceberg: Meaning, Identity,and Literacy in Preteen VirtualWorlds Eric M. Meyers

School of Library,Archivaland InformationStudies, 470 IrvingK. BarberLearningCentre, 1961 East Mall, Universityof BritishColumbia, Vancouver,BC Canada V6T 1Z1.

E-mail: emeyers@interchange. ubc.ca

Everyday millionsof childrenages fourto 12 login to shared virtualenvironments (SVEs)wheretheyplay,socialize, create,and explore a digitallandscape as avatars,or "virtualcharacters."While much of the researchand media attentionhas been focused on adult virtualenvironmentssuch as Second Life,or massive multiplayer games likeWorldofWarcraft,children'svirtualworldscomprisethe largestand fastestgrowingsegmentsofthisonline genre.Virtualenvironmentsare quicklybecoming an important aspect ofchildren'sout-of-schoollives.The challenge foreducators is to see how virtualspaces may be leveraged forlearningand literacy.This article provides an overviewof children'svirtualenvironmentsand presentsa four-part frameworkforfurther these The author that SVEs be viewed as spaces. analyzing posits may a new a and an on(1 ) an identity (2) (3) (4) context; space; "literacy"; problem-solving line community.The articleconcludes by suggestinga researchprogramforthe continuedexplorationof SVEs and the richarrayof information practicesthatsurround theiruse by youngpeople.

Keywords:virtualworlds; informationliteracy;informationseeking; children and youth;cognitiveethnographicmethods

Introduction

as seven, received over 2.6 million uniquevisitorsduringNovember2008.

The Internet is offering moreopportuelementaryschool librarian in nitiesforyouthtoengagein virtualinterWashingtonState(US) was reading a book on penguinsto a class of second actions that extend beyond their real-worldantecedents.

Morethanjustan gradestudents(age sevento eightyears).

One ofgirlsinterrupted to ask: "Can real onlinephenomenon, social networksites such as MySpace (http://www.myspace. penguinsbe morecolors thanjust black and white?"She wenton to explainthat, com) andSVEs suchas Teen SecondLife in Club Penguin (CP; http://www. (http://teen.secondlife.com) have bea sharedvirtualenvicome information clubpenguin.com), portalsforthe develronment forpreteens,herpenguincould oping social worlds of young people. be any color, even pink! The animated Preteenvirtualworldshave emergedas discussion that followed revealed that excitingnew entriesin thisfield:intoxiof in the students the knew class a many cating and engaging for children,but deal about and were visCP, great regular causing consternationfor parentswho itorsto thisdigitalsnow-coveredlandof fearthepotentialdangersand perceived funand adventure.CP, just one of an ardevelopmental effects of these of new Web-based shared virtual enimmersivevirtualspaces. Parentsand ray vironments for children as child advocateshave expressedconcern (SVEs) young 226

J.ofEducationforLibrary and Information Science, Vol.50, No.4- Fall2009 ISSN: 0748-5786 Š2009 AssociationforLibrary and Information Science Education

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and LiteracyinPreteenVirtualWorlds TipoftheIceberg:Meaning,Identity,

over child protectionsand the potential forthesesitesto negativelyalterreal-life pro-socialdevelopment(e.g., Flanagan, 2007; Slatalla, 2007). Little is known, however,about the impactthese sites may have on preteens,even thoughthe sitesthemselvessuggesttheactivitiesoffer potentialbenefits(communication and typingskills,budgetingmoney,caring forpets, etc.). For example, while manyof thesesitespromotesafeand rea numberof sponsibleuse oftheInternet, correspondingly negativepracticeshave of young emerged,suchas a community userswho glorifycheatingCP's reward system, publishing their rebellious exploits on blogs and YouTube (Benderoff, 2007).

Thisarticleexploresan explodingsegmentof theonlineuniverse:sharedvirtualenvironments designedforchildren betweenthe ages of seven and thirteen years.The focus is narrow,butcritical; thepreteenyearsarea keydevelopmental periodduringwhichchildrenbuildtheir personaland social identity.Nearlyall theresearchinthisfieldfocuseson adults orteens,whohavegreaterautonomyand thus,theabsenceofresearchin maturity; thisarea represents a potentially dangerous oversight.The articlebeginsby introducingresearchersand practitioners to thesechildrenand the online worlds forexamining theyinhabit.A framework theseworldsusinga social practiceperspectiveis proposed,followedby a case exampledrawnfromtheauthor'sparticipant observationof one virtualworld: Club Penguin.The articleconcludeswith a researchagendaforthestudyofvirtual environments as contextsforyouthinformation behavior, as well as the implicationssuch studiesmay hold for in LIS. researchers Online SVEs forPreteens: An Emergent Genre to variouslyas Preteens,also referred

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the'NetGeneration, Millenials,andDigitalNatives,have knownof and used the Internet andWorldWideWebtheirentire lives. Recentsurveys(Roberts,Foehr,& Rideout,2005) of children'sdigitalmedia use (ages eightto 10) suggesta growof theirnon-schoolhours ingproportion areconsumedwithplayingvideogames, web surfing, and onlinecorrespondence.

Manychildrenaredrawntoonlinevirtual environments because ofthesocial experiencestheyprovide.As preteensare developing their personalities, their conceptof thesocial self,and a nascent moral sense, (Harter, 1998; Wigfield, Byrnes, & Eccles, 2006). richly immersivevirtualspaces are presenting newopportunities to explore.

The last two years have seen a dramaticincrease in the numberof online SVEs targeting thepre-MySpacedemoas well as theInternet traffic digraphic, rectedto thesesites. It is estimatedthat over 10 millionchildrenand adultsuse thesesitesin NorthAmericaand around the world,and usage is increasing.Despitetheirpopularityand mentionin the popularpress,verylittleresearchliterature exists about these sites. No published research in LIS addresses this media genre,althoughsome researchis emergingin cognatefields.Scholars in the area of literacyand media studies have recentlybegundescribingand analyzingthesesitesintermsofreadingand writingpractices (Marsh, 2008; Merchant,2009).

Table 1 describesthecharacteristics of six SVEs designed expresslyfor preteens,and comparesthemto each other and a popular SVE for adults,Second Life. This tableis notmeantto be an exhaustivesurvey;rather,it illustratesthe features ofsix SVEs thatrepresent different portionsof this marketspace. Selectedforinclusionweresiteswhichhad ( 1) rich,immersive qualities;(2) chatand social networking features;and (3) significantavailability and user appeal (over 200,000 visitsper month).Three

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JOURNALOF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATIONSCIENCE

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andLiteracy inPreteen Virtual Worlds Meaning, Identity, TipoftheIceberg: different typesofpreteenSVEs arerepresented: • AdverWorlds: Thiscategory denotes virtual commercially-based the environments designedto support marketing campaignsofreal-world (candy,cereal,dolls,etc.). products The onlinepresenceandtheproduct aremutually exclusive,butthegoal is tobuildexcitement for,anddrive traffic to,thereal-world product.

• Commercial Worlds:Thiscategory environments where describesvirtual theonlineworlditselfis theproduct (e.g. CP) or wheretheonlineworld andthereal-world productaredeeply intertwined andmutually supporting. for CP chargesa fee($5.95/month) on WebKinz, membership. premium theotherhand,requiresthepurchase ofa plushtoy,whichthenprovidesa code foronlineaccess.

• ValueWorlds:In thiscategory, virtual environments areexpressly orattempting to non-commercial rich online experiences provide without advertising, productsales,or fees.Thesesites premium membership describethemselves as alternatives to thecommercially-based sitesdescribed above,intermsofbothvaluesand As bothofthesesites market strategy. arenewentriesinthefield,itis unclearhowlongtheywillremain non-commercial.

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is tremendous social pressureonchildren (and consequentlytheirparents)to pay these premiums.Each of the sites included in this analysis,withthe exception of WebKinz, offers a free or basic-levelsubscription.

Beyond theirvaryingeconomic profiles, SVEs have numerousfeaturesin common.They allow childrento create an avatar,or virtualcharacter,and to move that avatar throughthe various spaces (islands, rooms,neighborhoods) intheworld.The avatarsand represented theirhomes or roomscan be decorated witha wide arrayof furnishings and accessories.Playinggames or engagingin various adventuresscriptedwithinthe world permitschildrento earn virtual currency,whichcan be spenton additional virtualaccessories,clothing,and furniture.

Manyof theactivitiesin these worldsare consumer-oriented; children a deal of their time spend great shopping or working/playing in order to afford morevirtualpossessions.Statusin these worldsis frequently inostenrepresented tatiousdisplays: novices (or those who cannotaffordthepremiummembership) are quickly distinguishedfrom more experienced players by their lack of swag.

Whilesociabilityis a keypartoftheallureof theseworlds,activityis balanced for byconcernsforsafetyandanonymity all users. Moderatedchat withparental controlsis anothercommonfeatureof in blogs and parentfoAs represented preteenSVEs. Parentshave theoptionto or the commercial non-commercial rums, permitopen, moderatedchat for their natureofa givenS VE appearstobe an imchildren,or "safe"chat,whichlimitsthe factor to both and children user to preselectedwords and phrases, parents portant (e.g., http://www.commonsensemedia.such as "Hi!" or "Wantto be friends?" about, Childrenare discouraged(or disallowed org/ or http://familyinternet.

It affects the extent in some SVEs) fromprovidingany percom/). dramatically to whichchildrencan participatein the sonal information duringchatwithother activitiesoftheseworlds.Sitesthatoffer General rulesof politeness participants. and are enforced premium membership subscriptions speech byadultmoderaoften reserve activiwho be either volunteers oremtors, ($5-6/month) many may tiesforthosewhosubscribeat thislevel.

Violators are or ployees. givenwarnings, As membership is reflected intheappearbanned fromthe site for flagrantand anceofa child's avatarintheworld,there bad behavior. persistent

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SVEs permitchildren to explore a FrameworkforAnalyzing SVEs for wide arrayof activitieson theirown or Preteens withothers.Beyond games and advenWhatemergesfroman initialexaminatures,which are updated frequentlyto tionofpreteenvirtualworldsis thatthey maintain interest,SVEs host parties are as interactive as manyadult-oriented and social events,oftenbased on holiand more immersive thaninvideo virtual or themes. newspagames Blogs, days are online the formational websites. of or to the They entrypage pers, updates learn to socialize where children SVE informusersofnewfeaturesofthe spaces aroundsharedexpewithothers,interact virtualspace. In additionto generalsomostSVEs permitusers cial gatherings, riences,createtheirown digitalstories, and acquire new information to host their own parties, or invite age skills. for To recognizethepowerand potentialof friendsto visit a home/room/igloo thesespacesforlearningandinformation small group socializing. In general, these sites provide a structurethat behavior,one mustadopta sociocultural view of literacy.Fromthisperspective, an elementary closely approximates school playground,completewithplay, bytheir literacypracticesareconditioned historical and social and socializationoprewardstructures, contexts, cultural, such bothinandoutofformalinstitutions portunities.The attendantproblemsof as school or unstructured semi-structured (Gee, 1996; Heath, 1983; youth Street,1995). Kress (2003) arguessuch spaces are presentas well: rebellion, literaciesincludemultiplemodes of incliques, statushierarchies,and identity andcommunication, formation including games. and feaNo two SVEs are alike. Different print digitalforms.Thisbroaderconturesand interactive ceptionof literacyrecognizesthatinfordesignswill appeal mation-rich practices occur across and the and to different genders, ages this of worlds available contexts,includingeverydaylife, and supports range is theseinandoutofschoolpracticeshavea for example, diversity.BarbieGirls, number of intersectionpoints (Gee, explicitlygirl-centric(and very pink). animals Webkinz,whichemploysstuffed 2008a). Second gradestudentswholearn about penguinsin school resolve this as theentrĂŠeto thevirtualspace, is more attractiveto youngertweens and chilknowledge with their out-of-school dren.It is also suggestedby blogs and penguin experiencesas anthropomorphic avatars. discussionboards that,as childrenmaA commonapproachto youthinformature,theiractivitiesin thevirtualworlds tionseekinghas been to view literacyas change focus; as they grow older and either:(1) a processof decodingand enmoreexperienced,theyuse thesespaces Older tweensand teens are procodingtext,i.e., readingand writing differently. ficiency;or(2) a setofinformation-based presentinCP, buttheyaredrawnmoreto skillsfocusedon findingand evaluating thechatcapabilitiesthanthegames,and use thepenguinavatarsforcreativepurinformation, i.e., research.In applying viewstoyouthinfortheseschool-centric poses, suchas machinimamusicvideos, mation behavior, scholars have abe.g., Bad Day in Club Penguin by the process of information stracted Tehkraziboi,(http://www.youtube.com/ thanseeinghow it is enrather KZero seeking, watch?v=pQAUMzLUVYw). with twined a company activity,or theprocessesof (http://www.kzero.co.uk/) and thattracksvirtualworld trends,posits being in the world,including doing and is the thatchildren'sSVEs meaningmaking.A numberof researchlargest ers in LIS have exploredout-of-school online of this fastestgrowingsegment information seekinganduse,particularly genre.

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andLiteracy inPreteen Virtual Worlds TipoftheIceberg:Meaning, Identity, how information behaviorin olderchiland teens dren supportsthe developing social self & (e.g.

Agosto Hughes-Hassell, 2006; Latrobe & Havener,1997; Shenton& Dixon,2003).

Information seekingamongyouth,however, has not been situatedas a social practice. Recent research (Fisher, Marcoux, Meyers & Landry, 2007; Meyers,Fisher,& Marcoux,2007; 2009) on preteeneverydaylifeinformation behaviorsuggeststhatinformation seeking and problemsolvingare embeddedin a wide rangeof social practices,including activitiesat home,school,public social spaces,and online.This notionofexambeiningsocial practicesas information havioris an emergentapproachin LIS, but one which is consistentwith new waysof lookingat everydayexperiences in a range of cognate fields,including communication and media studies,and thelearningsciences.

To addressthisgap intheareaofyouth informationbehavior, I propose a framework foranalyzingprefour-part teen SVEs. These fourpartsrepresent themesthathaveemergedin theexisting scholarshipin cognate disciplines,and nascentempiricalresearchaboutthevirtual worlds themselves. Specifically, preteenSVEs exist as: (1) an identity space; (2) a new literacy;(3) a problem-solvingcontext;and (4) a community. These four interconnected parts suggestthecomplexityof thephenomenon,anddemanda multi-dimensional approachto the continuingstudyof these technologiesand thepracticesemerging withinand aroundthem.I will elaborate brieflyon each of thesefourpoints,and presenta case exampleto illustratehow thisframework maybe applied.

S VE as Identity Space We expressourselvesbyhowwe dress, whatcarwe drive,orthetypeofhousewe live in. Throughparticipation in virtual children are an worlds, given introduc-

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tionto the developmentof a persona,a unique identitythatreflectstheirgrowingsenseofself.The front page fora popular teen space, Gaia (http://www. gaiaonline.com)suggests: MiniYou. Youravatarcanbe as unique as youare.Makea littlecloneofyour orcreatea crazystyleyou real-self, couldneverpulloffintherealworld.

You'relimited onlybyyourimagination andyourGaia Gold[virtual currency].

While Gaia is designedforteens,this sentimentis evidentin the spaces designedforyoungerchildrenas well. The to createa personal(and disflexibility posable) onlinestylethatmimicsorcontradicts thephysicalselfpermits children the opportunity for low-stakesidentity play. This projectionof the real self in virtualspace has tremendouspotential for learning,and could be a building block in the constructing of the social self.As an area of research,it is unclear how virtualand physicalidentitiesinteract, especially in young children,and whethersuch identityplay can alter pro-socialdevelopment.Nor is it clear how theaugmentedcapacitiesor altered appearancesof avatarswould affectnotionsof authority, trust,and credibility, social costs in instances of peer information sharing.

S VE as a NewLiteracy As childrenengagewithvirtualspaces, theyparticipatein a discoursecommunity.Some aspectsof thisdiscourseare generalizableto otherexperiences(both in the real world and in otheronline spaces), and someaspectsare specificto a givenvirtualspace. Loggingin,creatand sharingan onlineidentity, chatting, a with others are skills and ing profile "literacies"thattransferacross several applications.Other more specific discourseelements,suchas "tippingtheiceberg" are specific to a given virtual context (see below). Knobel and

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Lankshear(2006) suggestthata new literacyrequiresnew "technicalstuff and new "ethos stuff."The new technical stuffin preteenSVEs is the abilityfor preteensand youngerchildrento engage withwebsitesand each otherin novel andchatto ways,fromsocial networking customizable and creating manipulating avatars.While these technologieshave beenaroundforsometime,placingthem inthehandsofchildrenat a developmentally appropriatelevel is an important The new"ethosstuff"is the leap forward. mannerin whichchildrenengage with these spaces, specificallymovingfrom knowledgeconsumers(as in the early web- decoding the text of others) to exknowledgeproducers(demonstrating distribpertise throughparticipatory, uted,and collaborativemeans).Children aretheexpertsinthesespaces,evenifthe byadults. space is createdand moderated This notionof participationin virtual spaceas a newliteracyis notmeanttodiscount existingconceptionsof literacy (reading and informationseeking); itis meanttobe additiveandcomrather, The link betweenthis new plementary. literacyand olderliteraciesrequiresfurther examination, particularly as educatorsaddress how technologyuse potentiallyreinforcesand exacerbates existinggaps in decoding and problem solving among young people (Gee, 2008b).

S VE as a Learningand ProblemSolving Context engagein informaPeople continually tion problem solving- identifying needs, selecting sources, determining andrelevance,andmakingdecredibility cisions by synthesisor drawingconclusions. Informationproblem solving is relevantin virtualenvironparticularly ments where new tools provide users and with novel ways to use, interpret, Thereare veryfewinshareinformation. in manyof thesespaces; chilstructions

dren oftenimmersethemselvesin the space and beginsolvingin-worldissues and comof navigation,personalization, comAs a child's munication rightaway. fortlevel withthe worldincreases,the emphasischangesfromsolvingproblems aboutbeinginthevirtualworld(howdo I do that?)tosolvingeverydayproblemsin theworld(whathomeworkdo we havein math?).Novice usersask fordirections; experiencedusersengagewitheach other using the world as a mediatingtool.

Thereis evidenceofa widerangeofproblemsolvingin thesespaces. Whatmerits furtherexplorationis the balance betweenthesetwo key typesof problems: problemsrelatedto theworlditself,and unrelated problems that are tackled in-world.

SVE as a Community Virtualspaces offersynchronousinteractionwithinthe world: opportunities to play and socialize withothers,as well as pointsof asynchronousinteractiononlinethroughfansites,blogs, and YouTube videos. What emerges is a a membershipin a sense of community, in largerenterprise whichotherchildren participate.In manyways,thechildren inCP, Webkinz,andotherSVEs become a communityof practice, one which oftheonline shapestheirunderstanding world,and theiridentityas a memberof thereare opthatworld. Furthermore, to demonstrate expertiseand portunities statusin these online companionsites.

Beyond the plethora of "hacks" and "cheats" identifiedby users, websites and insightfromexpeofferinstruction riencedmembers,detailed tutorialson howtoearnrewards,andtechniquesthat novices can employ to improvetheir Onlinecomstandinginthecommunity. studied have been munities by a number of scholars (Steinkuehler, 2008; Wenger,White & Smith,2009). How youthcommunitiesdifferfromthoseof adults,or how these communities,and

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and LiteracyinPreteenVirtualWorlds TipoftheIceberg:Meaning,Identity,

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in them,will evolve formation youthparticipation problemthatengagedchildren unknown. in is still various informationconsumption, eleEach one of thesefourframework assessment,and productionactivities. ments supportsresearchopportunities.

A criticalcomponentofthismêmewas Takentogether, thefourelements represent thedevelopmentand assessmentof varia holisticapproachthatwoulddescribethe ous systemsfor gettingthe ice to tip. multi-stakeholder isChildrencreatedand testedhypotheses, multidimensional, suesraisedbypreteenSVEs. As an examnearlyall ofwhichinvolvedorganizinga ofthese criticalmassofotherpenguinsto participleofhowa generalunderstanding be appliedtotheanalysisofa spacesmight pateintheformof"tippingparties."The thecase belowillusmost commonlyobservedstrategywas specificphenomenon, andresponsetoanontrates theemergence physical:clustering penguinson one side line mêmein theSVE Club Penguin.An oftheiceberg,as itwas feltbased on real online même is a conceptthatspreads worldprinciplesofphysics,thatmassing onavatarsat a singlepointmighttrigger the quicklyfrompersontopersonthrough line spaces and othermedia (see also tip. Other strategiesranged from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme_(Inter magical- havingall penguinschangeto examinedin the the same color, or dance a particular net)). The phenomenon - obtainingspedrawson thelast examplemoststrongly way- tothemechanical twoframework elements cifictoolssuchas a drilltofacilitatesink(problemsolving and community), butaspectsof theother ing or destabilizingtheiceberg.In each twoelementsarepresent as well. oftheseinstances,childrenwereattempting to uncoverthe rules of the system, often comparing the digital to the Case Example: TippingtheIceberg physicalworldforinspiration.

As CP was developingits reputation The attemptsto tip the icebergwere and participant base in 2006, an online notjust inthe effort, partofa community mêmeemergedsurrounding one particuin the virtual hypothesistesting space, lar facetof the virtualworld.Penguins butalso intheflourishing digitalconverin largenumberson the sation in the preteenblogospherethat begangathering a short distance from the other iceberg supportedtheseattempts.Thousandsof - children and adults- recorded and of the CP users activityspaces buildings in an to or the attempt "tipit," get village questionsand responseson Yahoo! Anice to flip over. It is unclearhow this swersandotheronlinereference services mêmebegan,butitbecamethesourceof more information. wrote of seeking They considerableactivity,both inside and thisactivityintermsofobsessionanduroutsidethevirtualspace. Rumorscircugency,and withgeneroususe of theexlated about prizes and penaltiesassociclamationmark.On websitesand blogs, ated with this task. Althougha brief childrendocumentedtheir ideas, prementionoftippingtheicebergwas made sentedcounter-proposals and evidence, on theofficialCP webpage,thesitecreand createdsophisticated moviesand tuatorsplayfully refusedto clarifywhether torials to illustratetheir efforts(e.g. ornotthiscouldbe accomplished,allowhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nll Whilethere USL-ezi4). The communityeffortproingtherumorto proliferate. is no convincingevidence thatthe icevidedopportunities forchildrento demin was fact or even onstrate their berg "tipped" expertise and represent this became the focus their intellectual and social passions. "tippable," activity of considerable informationseeking, Whiletippingtheicebergis no longerin writing,video and image creating.In vogue,itremainspartofthemystiqueof theSVE, andtraceevidenceofchildren's short,tippingtheicebergbecame an in-

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effortsto solve this problemlitterthe Web. of information The transformation consumersintoknowledgebuildersis a significant step.Preteensappearcapable to ofusingdigitaltoolsandenvironments and in of interest communities participate learning,as well as become expertsin theirareas of passion. SVEs are notjust playspaces,butthefocalpointofa great workthatis rarely deal of information or understood as acts of literprivileged which children The extent to particiacy. pate in virtualworldssuggeststhatit is nota passingfad,butmayinsteadexpose new waysof teachingthemto workcollaborativelyand creatively.Ratherthan blockingthese sites, educators should look forways to leveragetheirlearning and problemsolving aspects, examine how theymotivateinformation seeking and use, and how they provide vital agencyto childrento takechargeoftheir own learning.

A Research Agenda for Preteen SVEs of sitesin this Given theproliferation for the and genre, potential thesesitesas and meaningmakingenvironlearning ments,additional research is needed.

This articledocumentsthe initialforay intothisspace as partof a researchproject to explore the complex social and technicalaspects of how childrenuse and theseworlds,howadultstakeholders and institutions affecttheseinteractions, how differentvalue propositionsare manifestin immersivevirtualenvironments.The guidingquestionsforthisresearch include: How do preteens constructmeaning,authority,identity, and expertisein virtualspace? How do online social networksaffectthe informationseekingand sharingpracticesof preteens?More broadly,how will growingup invirtualspace affectournotionof whatit meansto be "literate"in the21st Century?

Rooted in a socioculturalstance,this researchuses a cognitiveethnographic approach(Hutchin,1995) and thedevelopmentaltheoryof Vygotsky(1978) to informbothmethodsand analysis.Cogwhichdrawson annitiveethnography, thropologicaltechniquesand prolonged is used todevelopan underengagement, ofusof a community standing particular ers,inthiscase preteensinvirtualworlds, toepandthenappliesthisunderstanding isodic activitiesthroughmicro-analysis.

Traditionalethnographic approachesdecomscribetheknowledgeofa particular whereas cognitiveethnography munity, describeshow membersof a particular construct and use knowledge community in everydayactivities.Specifically,this researchprojectwill engage withthese virtualspaces throughextendedparticipant observation,group and individual interviewswith multiplestakeholders, activity diaries, and self-reported behaviortracking.

Futureworkwill include: (1) a field based investigationgatheringinstitutional,parent,and child perceptionsof preteenvirtualworldsbased on thisconceptualwork;(2) longitudinaldata collectionwithpreteenchildreninteracting withvirtualworlds;and (3) developing for designcriteriaand recommendations softwaredevelopers,interaction designers,youthserviceproviders,and parents concernedwiththe long-terminfluence of virtualworldson preteensocial and moraldevelopment.A conceptualanalyin manifest sis ofhow valuepropositions thesespaces usinga criticalcomparison techniqueinformedby Value Sensitive Design (Nathan,et al., 2008) is already underway.

Conclusion Immersivevirtualtechnologiesare no to sciencefictionstories longerrestricted orexoticresearchlabs: theyareavailable to a growingnumberof childrenand adultson theirdesktopcomputersvia the

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andLiteracy inPreteen Virtual Worlds TipoftheIceberg:Meaning, Identity, Internet.

SVEs or,as Castronova(2003) calls them,"synthetic worlds"offertremendouspotentialforlearning,creativity,collaboration,and problemsolving.

We are movingintoan age markedby new stylesof interaction and communication, where the distinctionbetween "play" and "learning"maybe altogether meaningless.LIS has been slow to acbeknowledgethecomplexinformation havior embedded in games, social networks,and virtualcontextsbeyond traditionalsearchand retrieval.Understandinghowpreteensuse virtualworlds as problemsolvingand learningspaces will contributeto our growingknowledge ofhow social information practices develop in young people. This knowleduedgeis ofcriticalconcerntoparents, cators,caregivers,librarians,and others who mediatethereal and virtualworlds of preteens.Furthermore, the findings in be used for may designrequirements alternateinformation retrievaltools for youngpeople,as suggestedby Beheshti, Bowler,Large,and Nesset(2005). SVEs offera richcontextforthedevelopment of socially mediatedinformation practices. As the obstacles to participation lessen,graspingthe implicationsof the use SVEs by thisand futuregenerations is critical.

Acknowledgements The author wishes to thank Sean Fullerton(ChinookElementary, Auburn, WA) forsharingtheanecdotein theIntwoanonymousrefereeswho troduction, valuable feedback,and theediprovided torialstaffofJELIS fortheirassistancein revisingthispaper.

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