With some of the recent reshuffling at Linden Labs, I've been thinking a lot lately about the implications for educators who've heavily invested (time, expertise, budget, curriculum development) in virtual worlds.

Are virtual worlds viable (in the classroom and/or as a business)? Do they require too much tech investment/knowledge from educators? Are there too many security/privacy/safety issues -- real or imagined --about having kids in virtual worlds? While I've seen some really amazing and innovative classroom and PD projects based in Second Life, has tech development actually moved in a direction different from the path taking by the virtual world early adopters?

I'm working on a story on this subject, and I'm looking for insights from educators. You can reach me at [email protected].