TECHNOLOGY AND TEENS

Making an Avatar

http://mashable.com/2007/09/12/avatars/

Avatar creator Meez is back in the news this week, but there are dozens more avatar creation tools gunning for this market. Today we attempt an overview of that market: please add more suggestions in the comment section.

Weblin- Create an avatar and use it as your virtual self within web pages in real-time, interacting with other Weblin users who share the same interests.

Meez.com- Create a 3D animated avatar for export directly to most web profiles, blogs, etc.

Second Life- Use this extremely popular virtual world to do just about anything, but first, you have to create your avatar. Here, avatars can be customized almost entirely, with plenty of room to create a most accurate likeness of yourself.

Mypictr- Use any image and resize, crop, customize, and export it to many other web 2.0 social networking sites and profiles, like Facebook (facebook), and Digg (Digg).

Gizmoz- Create, animate, and share photorealistic, great looking avatars, and even video clips featuring them. The animation and overall look of the avatar is sourced from a real picture, actually ending up almost like a personal CGI generator.

Mii Editor- Create your own “Mii”, the avatars characteristic of the Nintendo Wii.

Simpsons Avatar Maker- “Simpsonize yourself” by creating an avatar in the classic style of the Simpsons.

Gickr- Instantaneously create an animate gif file by either uploading your own pictures, or sourcing from Flickr (Flickr).

Gravatar (Gravatar)- Create an 80×80 pixel avatar by uploading an image which is then associated with your email address, appearing on Gravatar enabled websites and blogs without additional effort.

IMVU- Create and dress up your personal avatar which can then be used in their virtual chat-rooms or with their visual messenger client.

fix8- Create, animate, and dress up your avatar primarily through interfacing with your webcam in order to capture real movement and look.

Zwinky- Customize your personal cartoon avatar and share it across the web.

Digibody’s Caricature Maker- Use the components of a caricature to create your unique caricature avatar.

Faketown- A pixel-art, avatar based, MMORPG, similar to second life, but much less realistically.

DoppelMe- Simply assemble an apparently “hand drawn” avatar image for use anywhere.

SitePal- A pay-based 3D, animated avatar creation service aimed towards business looking to create a personal presence on their website.

Gaia- Another avatar-based MMORPG, this one, anime-styled.

imbee- The social network for young people includes an avatar creator featuring images of animals from the National Geographic Kids library.

Myrl- A social network based on avatars in the “metaverse”, supposedly using avatars to connect with the web by virtue of collaboration. Close to it’s beta launch, this definitely looks like something to keep an eye out for.

Kaneva- Yet another avatar-based virtual world, Kaneva looks like a valid Second Life alternative.

Blogscoped- Chat with others in this virtual, visual, chatroom, which makes efficient use of user avatars. While it may not appear to be that “web 2.0″ it uses PHP (PHP), MySQL, Ajax, and the Google API, which effectively categorize it as so.

MojiKan- A somewhat odd MMORPG for customizable 3D pet avata

Frenzoo- Customize and use one of their well-designed avatars in chats as well as a variety of other environments.

Clickbeurs (Dutch)- Create an avatar and apply for a job through virtually chatting with potential employers, a somewhat odd idea.

Mr. Picassohead- Create stunning, Picasso-like paintings which are easily transformed into avatars.

Whyrobbierocks- Create a “stereotypical” avatar for use on various social networking sites, IMs, etc

Weeworld- Interact with some quite uniquely designed avatars in a virtual world primarily based on chats and mini-games.

Voki- Create an avatar, record your voice, and share. A possible alternative to something like Sitepal, but geared more towards a less-business-oriented audience.

What do we Want/Need to Know?

How to keep up with what technology teens are using?

How to learn to use gadgets and have them in libraries to draw kids into the library?

How to create programs with online elements?

Glossary of terms (I know Monica said we could find this elsewhere, but I'm all in favor of having just ONE place to look! - Kris C.)

How to do podcasts, audio and video recording and editing?

What type of computer games to buy for the library?

How to do a computer game program?

Online Resources for teens?

Do library blogs/del.icio.us/wikis geared for teens bring them into the library/programs?

Recommended Reading:

Technically Involved: Technology-Based Youth Participation Activities for Your Library by Linda W. Braun (ALA, 2003)

Braun: “Teens, Technology, and Literacy: Or, Why Bad Grammar Isn’t Always Bad” (2007)

RoseMary Honnold: “Get Connected: Tech Programs for Teens” (2007).

Idaho State Library: "Perceptions of Idaho's Digital Natives on Public Libraries: Statewide Focus Group Findings"

http://libraries.idaho.gov/files/default/2007-digital-native-rpt.pdf

new PEW study!

http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/263/report_display.asp

Teens, Video Games and Civics: Teens' gaming experiences are diverse and include significant social interaction and civic engagement

Resources

Comic Life

http://plasq.com/comiclife-win