Friends on Big Universe

The other day, while up in our Computer Clubhouse, after taking an online test, my students excitedly went on to Big Universe.  They love spending their free time there: browsing books, creating images and finding friends.  That’s what their focus seemed to be that particular 15 minutes.  By the time everyone was done with the test, the whole room was buzzing with happy kids.  I actually had wished later that I had recorded the sounds in the room.

“Look at all my friends!”

“Look at this friend.  He has over 300 books on his shelf!”

“Mrs. Peterson, you NEED to be my friend!”

The SHARE part of Big Universe is a great feature and I like to encourage the students to use it.  First of all, it is a very safe environment.  Many of the kids’ names are in code, the social network is confined to Big Universe users and the comments students can make are limited.  In fact, they choose a comment to leave for a friend from a drop box.

I find that the students are showing some nice camaraderie online that can sometimes can be lost in person.  Everyone wants to be everyone’s friend.  It’s  nice to see!

Another great thing about the SHARE tab is that you get to see what other readers are up to.  The boy who became friends with one who read over 300 books was so excited.  So, I told him to check out the books he was reading.  My student happily went back to his computer and started to read one of the books on the boy’s shelf.  He took the recommendation as an exciting adventure: to read what someone across the country thought was a great book.

It was fun to see my students get excited about social media in the classroom in a very safe and educational environment.  My hope is that this healthy interaction with other people online will help them see the possibilities of online collaboration in the future.

~EMP