Some principals are taking the byte out of "virtual pets," one of
the latest fads to hit the United States. Should the distracting critters
be banned?
Most principals are praying that the virtual pet craze will die out
by the time fall rolls around. But, as the popularity of virtual pets---or
"virtual pests," as some principals call them---grows, so does the number
of principals forced to deal with distractions the digital dogs and dinosaurs
can cause in U.S. classrooms. More than a few school principals have banned
the cyber critters from their schools!
"First we were overrun with Beanie Babies, then all of a sudden teachers
started commenting that the kids seemed to be taking a lot of long bathroom
breaks," Bud Rivard, assistant principal at Center Road Elementary School
in Vernon, Connecticut, told the Hartford Courant recently.
"We found that the kids were concentrating on the toys, anticipating
when they were going to beep and heading off to the bathroom with them,"
he adds.
Virtual pets are now banned from Center Road Elementary and from a handful
of schools in other states. Elsewhere, principals are hoping the fad dies
out---quickly.
Tickle Me Elmo might be "cold," and Beanie Babies might be cooling off,
but right now virtual pets are HOT! In the first four months of this year,
more than 4 million of the egg-shaped mini-video games on a key chain
were sold in Japan. It wasn't long before word got out and demand spread
to the United States. In early May, kids hoping to buy the first "virtual
pets" to show up on this side of the Pacific stood in line for six hours
at the FAO Schwarz store near Union Square in San Francisco. And, on May
27, K-Mart introduced the toys in a handful of their stores at $14.99
a pop.
In November, 1996, Bandai Company released the first Tamagotchi (roughly
translated from Japanese, it means "gentle" or "lovable egg"). It looked
like a little plastic egg with a key chain attached. Implanted in the
egg was a small LCD screen and several buttons. Occasionally, the egg
would beep, a sign that the little creature on the mini-screen needed
its owner's attention. The baby might need to be fed or played with or
given medicine. Those things could be accomplished with the push of a
button.
"If you give it too much candy and not enough exercise, you can get
a fat, lazy Tamagotchi," Gene Morra, vice president of marketing and sales
for Bandai America, Inc., told the San Francisco Examiner. "It's a great
toy, and it also teaches responsibility."
If the virtual pet is carelessly cared-for, it might even die. However,
that feature may soon be eliminated in the United States in favor of a
pause button that will allow kids in school to put their Tamagotchis'
demands on hold while the kids attend to their studies.
As a sign of their popularity, Tamagotchi---"the original virtual pet"---has
spawned a number of knockoffs that are capitalizing on the cyber creatures'
popularity. Among the competition are Giga Pets, Nano-Pets, and Dinkie
Dino.
Meanwhile, back in the schools…the black market for Tamagotchis can
be a problem. Some kids have resorted to "pet-napping" the virtual critters!
And the beeps from the needy little creatures can by a big annoyance.
The miniature pets are the subject of debate on school boards; the consensus
has been that if they interfere with academics they don't have a place
in schools. Debate has flowed over onto radio talk shows and into the
press. The Hartford Courant, in response to the banning of virtual pets
from Center Road Elementary, opened its op-ed pages to a discussion of
the electronic pets. Here are a few of the comments:
"Virtual pets let us kids learn responsibility.
…I have a virtual pet and it does not distract me from doing any of my
schoolwork."
---Ashley, Grade 6
"I think virtual pets should be banned from school for three
reasons:
1. They might die.
2. They beep and that distracts the student.
3. It could go hungry."
---Jared, Grade 1
"Virtual pets should not be allowed in school.
They are distracting and disruptive. Toys should be left at home."
---Grade 8 teacher
"I think cyber pets should be allowed in school.
They are very educational. They teach kids how to take care of a real
pet."
---Brian, Grade 6
"We should keep those pets in schools because if we keep them
home they will die. Also, they could stay with [our] parents, but if they
are very busy and forget to feed them or play, they could die. The kids
could keep the sound off. If they keep playing with them every second,
the teachers can hold onto them."
---Danielle, Grade 6
In addition, virtual pets have spawned a large number of Internet sites.
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World® Editor-in-Chief
Copyright © 2006 Education World
07/25/1997
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