1. The document discusses the Schome Park project which explored using virtual worlds for education over multiple phases from 2007 to 2009. 2. It describes the number of students and staff involved in each phase, and challenges around recruitment, retention and complexity. 3. Quotes from participants discuss issues like bureaucracy causing friction, a lack of clear purpose in the virtual world, and difficulties integrating new members.

1. Peter Twining JISC RSC Conference Cambridge, March 2009 Acknowledgements: The Schome Park Community NAGTY, Innovation Unit, Becta, OU www.sc h ome.ac.uk

3. www.schome.ac.uk What should sc h ome be like? Like now only better

4. ‘ Meaning of space’?

5. Difficult or impossible in the physical world

6. Playfullness & boundary testing

11. www.sc h ome.ac.uk Another thing I didn’t like was how everything was based around the forum and the wiki. It’s like “having to read a manual” the whole time when you are playing a video game. (Schomer B May 08) … the bureaucracy, which I'm to a large extent responsible for, started to cause quite a lot of friction. With hindsight, I was too keen to keep the status quo rather than try new things, … we lost the focus somewhat that, in the end, the government was meant to be a means rather than an end. (Schomer A May 08) Phase 1 Phases 2 & 3a Focus on SP (forum optional) Forum essential (buddies, planning) Build anywhere above 200m Need planning permission

12. www.schome.ac.uk Experimentation vs control Focus on Product Focus on Process Product-Process dimension Bureaucratic Simple Regulation dimension ‘ Serious’ Playful

13. www.sc h ome.ac.uk … People were very interested, it seemed that it just wasn’t the right time. … (SParker B email Dec 07) … I then discovered that the local authority block second life and were not keen to give me access at school. This is under dispute at county level but at this in time not resolved. … (SParker C email Dec 07) … In the end I felt it was impossible to go to the school and say, in effect, 'this is a project for just the richer ones among you' and so I didn't pursue. (SParker A email Dec 07) We had on going connection issues with the students computers and the network at school. Student's computers would freeze, not connect, start flying and freeze in fly mode over the ocean, and blue screen. (SParker D email June 08) Students Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Consent forms sent 250 Hundreds Hundreds Consent returned 149 117 125 Avatars set up 149 85 108 > 300 mins 39 34 (21) 54 (24)

14. www.sc h ome.ac.uk Adapted from http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2009/01/22/eventedness/ Dave White (2009) Communal Individual Isolated Belonging Co-presence Eventedness Eventedness : the sense you are part of a shared endeavour Co-presence : the sense you are present with other people MUVE (e.g. Second Life) a : what’s the point? There wasn’t really an aim to it. It was just “wander round, do whatever, build”. At least in other virtual worlds there are challenges like building up levels, gaining skills and other things which give a sense of accomplishment. (Schomer B March 09)

15. www.sc h ome.ac.uk a : what’s the point? b : socialising Adapted from http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2009/01/22/eventedness/ Dave White (2009) Communal Individual Isolated Belonging Co-presence Eventedness Eventedness : the sense you are part of a shared endeavour Co-presence : the sense you are present with other people Well, I think some people felt a bit intimidated by the already existing friendship groups, but people have fitted in really well. (Schomer C May 08) MUVE (e.g. Second Life)

16. www.sc h ome.ac.uk a : what’s the point? b : socialising c : shared endeavour Adapted from http://tallblog.conted.ox.ac.uk/index.php/2009/01/22/eventedness/ Dave White (2009) Communal Individual Isolated Belonging Co-presence Eventedness Eventedness : the sense you are part of a shared endeavour Co-presence : the sense you are present with other people How do you think that [self-governance] worked? I think it worked very well for people who were involved in the first phase. I don't think it worked so well for new people. (Schomer D March 09) MUVE (e.g. Second Life)

17. www.sc h ome.ac.uk Virtual worlds = new frontiers (Castronova 2007) Design grammar (Gee 2003) Epistemic frames (Shaffer 2006) Castronova, E. (2007) Exodus to the Virtual World . New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Gee, J.P. (2003) What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy . New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Shaffer, D. (2006) How Computer Games Help Children Learn . New York: Palgrave Macmillan

18. www.sc h ome.ac.uk

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21. www.sc h ome.ac.uk i found that it is very intresting coming into a new world and trying to become aapart of a new community. i know when i first came in that i was a bit unsure but when i met some of the other schomers and how helpful there were i became part of the community very quickly (Schomer E May 08) “ It seems as though in too many cases it's been through making a bad misjudgement about what the ethos is and being strongly reprimanded by the alrwady existing members, or through seeing this happen to someone else. Being more tolerant of the mistakes would be much preferable, but I can't claim to do it myself, so I think I have to do some eye-plank extraction already. :-) (Schomer A May 08)

22. www.schome.ac.uk It’s a risk You will make mistakes If you don’t what will you learn ? Lots of other mistakes!

23. www.sc h ome.ac.uk

24. www.sc h ome.ac.uk Forum activity New … topics posts Phase 3b 2008 May 83 1486 April 121 2300 Phase 3a March 114 1602 February 100 2394 January 166 5274 Phase 2 2007 December 137 2768 November 142 2627 October 123 3017 September 111 2186 August 115 2356 July 165 3592 June 269 6884 SP closed May 203 9310 Phase 1 April 152 1381 March 162 1265

25. www.schome.ac.uk Learn about Learn by becoming Learn by doing Learn through role play

26. www.schome.ac.uk Individual constructivist Sociocultural Acquisition Participation Commodity Creative process (knowing) Knowledge

27. www.schome.ac.uk ‘ Curriculum’ Traditional school Group A’s prep work Externally defined Externally constrained Freely negotiated Self- determined Curriculum definition Imposed Free choice Imposed choice Self-imposed commitment Curriculum choice Discrete Integrated Dissociated Authentic No control In control De-motivating Motivating