More on SL "Distraction"

A happy coincidence brought me to the NCTE's website today (not for the first time, but it's certainly not an every day event), where I noted this item, which connects to my last posting, concerning the grand time-suck that is Second Life:

5. No matter what other “fun” activities or alternative assessments (acting, dancing, building models, creating artistic displays, etc.) are used in the classroom, incorporate a written component. While acknowledging the popularity of multiple intelligences and diverse and creative demonstrations of learning, we can further support students’ learning by having them write about what they created and, where applicable, about the symbolic meanings and representations of their creative expressions (Glasgow 2002c). Not only does this provide immediate real-world relevance—asking students to put into words what they have alternately expressed by other creative/artistic means—but it also helps students’ metacognition, consideration of how they know what they know (Wilhelm 1997).

I won't call the NCTE's words gospel truth, but they do hold some weight. Let's be sure that what we're doing in SL enhances education without harming it.