Evidence of educational benefits in SL

I’m expanding our work on “questioning”, emphasizing “true” inquiry-based approaches to learning science and the process of research. I’ve been following education in SL and also considering the use of other social networking environments  --  myspace, youtube, stickum, etc.

Frankly I have some concerns:

1. Kids (high school is my target) use  these “places” mostly for socializing;
2. I see the SL work as being more about SL itself — how to use it, what you can do, etc. --  rather than the actual educational effectiveness;
3. Much of educators’ enthusiasm falls short of the mark by deferring to what I’ve called the “You can...” syndrome. That is, the endless possibilities inherent in a system are the source of excitement, but get nailed down in very few instances.

I’m interested in your comments about my perceptions, and perhaps you can suggest some links to resources which demonstrate educational effectiveness in areas other than those where  social interaction seems to be the end goal. I’m also interested in seeing some real benefits achieved in science, rather than demonstrations, while impressive, are really suggestive of future developments.