Is that fad all that bad?

Teaching Pre K-8, Mar 2000 by Menon, Meryl Blau

Are virtual pets menaces

or motivators in the classroom? Here @ what one teacher has to say

Sick of hearing the "beep" of a hungry Nano Pet? Think your fourth graders should have outgrown stuffed animals? Tired of seeing Pokemon characters? Well, relax. You can use those fads to lead your students down paths of creativity and learning.

I heard the "beep" on the first day of school in September, 1997. It was not difficult to trace the sound to the inside of the desk of a cute freckle-faced redhead with a sheepish grin on his face. The "beep" came from a zoo of 14 "virtual pets" owned by nine-yearold Billy.

I had heard of the Tamagotchi craze, but had not yet seen an example of the toy. After I expressed interest in it, Billy showed me his collection and explained the special features of each toy.

Then other students proceeded to talk about their "pets" - or pulled out the variety hidden in their desks! I had no idea of the complexity of the toys or how the children had to keep their "Pets" happy with food, entertainment, shelter and sleep.

Permission granted. Intrigued by the children's avid interest and wondering how I could put their enthusiasm to the best use, I told them I'd like to know more about their "pets." I gave them permission to bring the toys to school if their creatures "behaved" and did not disturb the class in any way. The children agreed to make sure they "slept" during lessons. In return, I promised them a Virtual Pet Day later on.

The children lived up to their side of the bargain beautifully and did not let me forget my promise. I made a list with them of educationally sound activities for our special day. They had no trouble offering suggestions such as writing about their toys, keeping track of how many times they had to pay attention to them and why, and discussing differences between them - all related to curriculum goals of improving skills in communication and observation.

More than enough. A week before the Virtual Pet Day, I wrote a letter to the parents outlining our plans so they'd know why I was welcoming the pets in school. I also explained that they should not feel obliged to purchase one specifically for the day; we had more than enough to share if a child did not own one. I also informed the principal, who recognized the educational goals of the special event.

Finally, Virtual Pet Day arrived. For homework the previous evening, each child wrote a story in some way related to the theme: about a "virtual pet"; why he or she does or does not own one; or about a real pet. In this way, no one felt compelled to own a 'virtual pet" in order to participate.

In the morning, we read the stories out loud and the children each had a turn to hold up a "pet" and describe its features. Then we drew a Venn diagram comparing the three main types - a Tamagotchi, a Nano Puppy, and a GigaPet.

Different behaviors. According to my students, Tamagotchi characters were always aliens whereas Nanos and GigaPets had greater variety, with dogs, cats and even mermaids. The toys apparently differed in shape, number of buttons and types of behaviors that could be exhibited. Some played, others got sick and took medicine, and many could feel hungry, tired or bored.

The more I learned about the toys, the more impressed I was with the dexterity and logical thinking the children needed to keep their "pets" alive and content.

Pro and con. The highlight of the day was a non-competitive debate between two students on the topic "Virtual Pets Are Good for Children." One child, who owned none, spoke for the negative; he emphasized how paying attention to the toys really didn't help children learn how to take care of a real pet and took time away from other activities such as reading. The child who owned 14, spoke for the affirmative; he described enthusiastically bow much he enjoyed collecting them, sorting them and keeping them "alive."

After the main speakers, the audience, made up of the rest of the class and an invited sixth grade group, took turns commenting further on the advantages and disadvantages of the toys. These remarks led to an interesting discussion with both classes about fads in general, with the sixth graders talking about fads from when they were in fourth grade. One question from a student prompted a response from both me and the principal, who had joined us, about fads from our childhoods.

The debate provided a structure in which to respect points of view from varied age levels, an opportunity for students to express themselves clearly and a historical context in which to think about changes in society.

Early in the 1995-1996 school year, a popular boy in the class carried a stuffed blue bear in his book bag. Gradually it came out of the bag, on to his desk and out to recess with him. Since he loved it and stroked it without embarrassment, others started to bring their stuffed animals to school. I did not object as long as the pets didn't distract anyone during a lesson. I also required that the children put them away whenever another teacher was in charge of an activity.