Secret Builders is a virtual world made in the style of Second Life. I typically gloss over virtual world/ Second Life style programs mostly because they’re visually unattractive to me. That is probably also the reason I’ve never been much of a video game player. That said, I do believe in trying to meet students where they are and use their interests to promote learning. I was drawn to Secret Builders because it advertises itself as a virtual world environment with specific examples of educational uses.

Like other virtual world environments, Secret Builders allows students to create their own avatars and interact with others. Secret Builders is marketing itself for use by students under age thirteen therefore it does not ask for any personally identifying information. It does require that parents confirm, via email, permission for their children to use Secret Builders.

Applications for Education
Secret Builders has a good list of recommended classroom activities including drama performances, publishing stories and poems, and puzzle solving. Click here to see the full list of educational uses for Secret Builders.