Week 2 in Pitriworld!

Tonight students participated in a role play activity and learned a valuable lesson about “Lashon Hara”, translated from Hebrew means “the tongue of evil”(Personal Communication Gabe Machimimart, 11/23/10 4:56 pm PST). In this lesson Lashon Hara translated to gossip. Using Pitriworld's prototype "Roleplay" Template Module, each student was given a character card and short scenario about the situation. They were instructed to engage in instant messaging conversations both with the group and privately to try to find out what actually happened as they each played the part of their character. Afterwards students debated if gossip can be good or bad. Andrew Bethtorah noted that “gossip even if it’s a good thing is bad to do” (Personal Communication Andrew Bethtorah 11/23/10 4:58 pm PST). Geoffrey Bethtorah chimed in that “it can ruin people’s reputation”(Personal Communication Geoffrey Bethtorah 11/23/10 4:58 pm PST) and Jamie Bethtorah agreed that “no gossip is good because even if it is a good thing people turn it into a bad thing and rumors start that way”(Personal Communication Jamie Bethtorah 11/23/10 5:00 pm EST). The conversation continued on as parents ventured into the room to get their students and teens were disappointed that they had to leave. As they were signing off for the night they carried on the conversation down the hall way. I heard one teen, who was new to Pitriworld say, “Wow, playing this game made me see how rumors start and travel around, I think I better be more careful with what I do and what I say!” (Anonymous).

Lashon Hara is not a new teaching topic for me, but using Pitriworld as a platform to teach it is. The lesson was cleverly designed to give a voice to all the participants and encourage their interaction with each other which prompted a more in-depth discussion both in and out of world. Students were engaged through the entire lesson and excited to participate and learn. A lesson such as this one, was easy to put together and utilized simple word processing skills and cut and paste for the majority of the content. Additional touches added by the Pitriworld staff included customized name tags for each character and benches for the avatars to sit on.

For more information on Pitriworld visit: http://www.pitriworld.com/ or

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JTV ~ Jewish Computing ~ Pitriworld

Temple Beth Torah’s JTV Hebrew High School program takes their first steps in Pitriworld tonight! 5 teens, 4 at TBT and one at home, learned how to download Imprudence the platform where the Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) Pitriworld resides, customize their avatars, and explored unchartered territories. Teens were so excited and worked together to become acclimated to their new world.
Morah Lisa, one of our teachers, youth advisors, Shabbat rock organizer, and Rosh Chodesh leaders could not help but stop into the computer lab when passing by to see what all the commotion was about. Teens were so excited, they were engaging in conversation and begging each other to show them the creative things they were able to do with their avatar such as attaching objects to themselves, changing their appearance, and teleporting each other from one cool place to another. Teens were teleported into outer space where they floated in the air and dove towards planet earth, they climbed a giant mountain with a huge Strawberry and cupcake on top, and walked on the floor of an ancient synagogue, saw Noah’s arc, and visited someone’s home.
When class was over, it was hard to get the teens to leave, after a ½ of waiting parents had to call teens on their cell phones and remind them that they were waiting for them outside! Everyone is looking forward to our next class!
As a formal and informal Jewish educator for 17 years, I am always looking at new ways to reach my students. Pitriworld is a unique environment that combines gaming with education. In Pitriworld, teens are transformed into pioneers, explorers, inventors, problem solvers, designers, and more! In the upcoming weeks, students will gain skills in building in MUVE and increase their Media Arts capabilities, while preparing props and developing curriculum designed around Jewish Values and concepts. This approach to teaching is motivating to teens and follows a constructivist pattern which gives the students hands on experience by allowing students to grapple with concepts, dig deeper into their meanings, internalizing values, and figuring out how to explain / teach the concepts and values to others.

For more informationon Pitriworld visit: http://www.pitriworld.com/ or
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