Thinking about Comments on my Thinking

I'd like to follow up on the comments made by April regarding the focus of the RQ's in last post. First, it is amazing to have someone able to give strong feedback and still affirm the work you are doing. April has seen to do that in her very focused comments.
She suggested in general look that I rethink the close focus on K-12 environment. This is a struggle I have had with this whole topic. HOW narrow should I be? I realize that in my final RQ's for my dissertation there needs to be a very clear and fairly narrow focus. However, I am having some problems being too narrow as this is such a new field in regards to research. Thus, I have already switched from the narrow focus of multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs) to the broader virtual spaces. This is both pragmatic, in that I am not sure I can find enough good placements for study, as well as theoretical, in that I want to examine virtual spaces which are planned to be used for more than just a single project. Additionally, I see that the usefulness of my study will be greater with a look at virtual spaces with multiple tool sets rather than just a 3d immersive environment in that the implementation of these into wider spread schooling is further off.
Further she was suggesting a move away from the educational focus into a broader focus on youth utilizing these tools. As she puts it "I just don't think what you would find looking at NML in K12 would be that inspiring. I think you may need to learn from outside that realm to gain a powerful lens to consider the potential for K-12."
She has made a very valid point here. However, part of what I am finding is that there has been research done outside of school practices...along with theorizing how these can apply inside of schools. I want to help to take that next step of what does happen, and why, when these NML tools and practices are brought into the school settings. I do fear that I may be uninspired and perhaps even not have data to work with. Yet, I have also seen in my own work with individuals that there is some things going on that are encouraging, if not inspiring. Even more, I am hoping that I will see potential practices which do start to emerge from the students which can be highlighted so that teachers will read my research and begin to think about how they respond to the students and then how these practices and responses can change the space.
I think that many teachers have heard the potential for these NML in the classroom but have struggled with actually moving in that realm. With a focus on the space as being constructed from multiple trajectories and NOT just being pulled right from the 'cool' web to make the classroom cool, I hope to refocus on a different way of thinking about these tools and their uses for learning in the educational setting.
My final thought on the comments is to say that I love the phrasing she gave this: "youth's varied participation with nml" It really shifts the focus to the youth, which I do love. Then looking across arenas but with youth who are in classrooms trying to use NML, perhaps we will have a greater understanding of the differing ways that youth engage with these newer tools and the meaning making being done in each space.
Now would be a good time to pitch another rendition of the questions...but not sure I see quite how to do that yet.
J:)