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eLearning Papers www.elearningpapers.eu 1N 15 June 2009 ISSN 1887-1542

A learning community for teens on a virtual island - The Schome

Park Teen Second Life Pilot projectJulia Gillen Peter Twining Rebecca Ferguson

Oliver Butters Gill Clough Mark Gaved

Anna Peachey Dan Seamans and Kieron Sheehy

1

SummaryVirtual 3D worlds such as Second Life2 and online gaming environments are attractingeducationalists' interest. This paper reports upon the first European Teen Second Lifeeducational project for 13-17year olds: theSchomeParkNAGTY (National Association forGiftedandTalentedYouth)Pilot.Thisprojectaimedtocollectevidenceaboutfreshapproaches

toeducationbeyondtheexistingcurriculaofformalschoolingthroughexploringtheeducationalpotentials and pitfalls ofSecond Life. Diverse quantitative and qualitative data sources aredrawnupontoinvestigateissuesrelatingtoengagement,developmentofdomain-specificandknowledgeageskillsaswellaschallengesforeducators.Engagement data showed that only approximately one quarter of students accounted foralmostalltimespentinSchomePark.Frequencywasassociatedwithhighlevelsofuseofthewikiandforum.Evidencefromself-reportsanddocumentationonthewikidemonstratedveryhighlevelsofSecondLifeskills.Knowledgeageskillswereassessedwithinaframeworkwithfourlevelsforfourdimensions.InrespectofCommunication,allstudentswhoengagedachievedthefirstlevelandasubstantial

minorityinitiatedandmoderateddiscussionsand/ororganisedevents.InrespectofTeamwork,tensionswereevidentearlyon;however,asubstantialnumberdemonstratedtheirabilitiestooperate at the highest level being actively involved in solving governance problems. Withsupportstudentsmovedfromhierarchicalapproachesto theformationofgovernancegroups,eachwithdepartmentofficers,thusfurnishingevidenceofdistributedLeadershipatlevelone.Evidence from a rich and diverse programme of events illustrates an atmosphere whichfostered Creativity, permitting explorations, collaborations and the encouragement to riskmistakes.Ourexperiencesuggeststheimportanceofunderstandingtheroleofteachersinthiskindofinnovativeenvironment, not as the possessorsof relevant knowledge but as facilitators andpromoters of a cooperative ethos. We conclude that, despite multiple challenges, there is

evidencetosupportdramaticnewpossibilitiesforpedagogicredesigns.Studentswhoengagedwiththevirtualisland,thewikiandtheforumdemonstratedhigherlevelsoftheknowledgeageskillsofcommunication,leadership,teamworkandcreativity.Keywords: digital literacy; environments; learning; skills; virtual worlds; second life; gamingenvironments;educators;SchomePark;Schommunity;teenagers

1WeacknowledgethecontributionofJacquieBennett,formerlyoftheOpenUniversity,sadlydeceased,

whocontributedtobuildingtheenvironmentdescribedhereandco-authoringthispaper.WearealsogratefultothestudentsandstaffmembersoftheSchomeCommunity,toomanytonameherewhocontributedtotheworkdescribedinthispaper.2SecondLifeandTeenSecondLifearetrademarksofLindenResearch,Inc.

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1 Setting up Schome Park

1.1

Background:

Schome

TheSchome-NAGTYTeenSecondLifePilot,which isdescribed in thispaper, was the firstEuropeanenclosedislandforteenagersontheTeenSecondLifesectorofthe3DvirtualworldSecondLife.(Seebelowforexplanationsof"island"and"enclosed"inthiscontext.)Thepilotwassetupundertheumbrellaofthe Schomecommunity,orSchommunityasithasbecomeknowntoitsmembers,whichwasfoundedin2005bythesecondauthor.The Schommunity is a group of people which includes academics, parents, young people,policy makers, educators, and other interested parties. It was established with the aim ofcreating"anewformofeducationalsystemdesignedtoovercometheproblemsassociatedwithcurrent education systems inorder tomeet the needsofsociety and individuals in the 21stcentury"(SchomeCommunity,2007).Toachievethisaimthisvirtualcommunityhasengagedwithawidevarietyofperspectivesoneducationalpracticesandpotentialeducationalfutures,

consistentlyenactingaviewthatgenuineparticipationbylearnersmustbeinstantiatedatallstagesofplanningandoperationalizingeducation.TheSchommunityusesarangeofonlinemedia,includingawikiandforum,toexploreawidevarietyofperspectivesoneducationalpractices andpotential educational futures inorder tobroadenthinkinganddebateabouteducationalpossibilitiesaswellastogatherevidenceabouttheeffectivenessofalternativeapproachesindifferentcontexts.Itisbeyondthescopeofthispapertoparticipateintheongoingscholarlydiscussionsofhowtodefine a "virtual community"; [see Barab, Kling & Gray (2004) for an outline of relevantapproaches].WithPea (2004, p. xi) we aremore concernedwith the work ofcommunities,looselydefined,thanseekingaprecisedefinitionof"virtualcommunity".

WithintheSchommunitytechnologyisseennotonlyasatooltosupportandextendpracticesbutalsoashavingthepotentialtotransformwaysofrepresentingtheworldandofsupportinglearning.Itthushasthepotentialtochangewhatweneedfromoureducationsystemsthoughwe need to avoid falling into the trap of being technologically determined or driven. TheSchommunitydecidedtoexplorethepotentialofvirtualworlds,consideringtheircapacitytoactasspacesinwhichvisionsoffuturepracticesandpedagogiescanbebuiltandexperienced,makingit"possibletoconstruct,investigateandinterrogatehypotheticalworlds"(Squire,2006,p.19).Virtualworldscombineadesktopvirtualenvironmentwithsynchronouschatcommunication.TheSchommunityparticularlyfocussedonthoseworldswhichsharethreedistinctivefeatures:

1.Theillusionofthree-dimensionalspace. 2.Avatarsthatserveasthevisualrepresentationofusers. 3. Interactivechatthatallowuserstocommunicatewitheachothersynchronouslyina "public"way (i.e.with all present avatars)and/or through a private 'instantmessaging'facilitythatmayalsobeusedasynchronously.Asvideogames,virtualworldsoffer"designedexperiences,inwhichparticipantslearnthroughagrammarofdoingandbeing"(Squire,2006,p.19,emphasisasoriginal).Squire'snotionofa"grammar"hereisusefulindrawingattentiontotherepertoireforperformanceofagencythatisless constrained in a virtual world than it is in a videogame, since there is an absence ofimposedgoals.AsSquireimplies,thereareopportunitiesandconstraints;thechiefaimofthispaper will be to reflect on the uptake and limits of theseasexplored in this particular pilot

project.


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OurinitialexplorationsofthevirtualworldSecondLife,a3DvirtualworlddesignedandownedbyLindenLab,ledustobelievethatitprovidedthepossibilityfora"designedexperience"thatmightleadusininterestingwaystocombatspecificeducationalchallenges:

1. Collective action undertaken to construct, solve problems, and work out sociallyacceptable ways of cooperating in a virtual world may chime with visions of acollaboratively working citizen working towards a more socially responsible society

(Giroux,2000).ThecurrentUKeducationsystemmaybeviewedasbeingbasedaboveall on the achievementof individual qualificationsas learninggoals, aligningwith anethosofthestudentas individualconsumerchasingindividualenrichment,particularlyinmaterialterms.

2. Interconnected social milieux offer learning options that are critical, collaborative,creative,andfutures-oriented(Lankshear&Knobel,2008).Studentscanbeseverelyrestrictedinthecurrentformalandstructurededucationalsystem.Theirrecreationtimeis spent in environments thatare fast-paced,multimedia,multimodal, interactive anddigital,creatinghighexpectationsofengagement.Atraditionalsubject-basedcurriculumisinappropriatetotheneedsofaninformationsociety,wherekeycapabilitiesmaybeconceptualizedasbeingmoretodowithskillsinaccessing,combiningandtransforminginformation,sometimesincreativeways,ratherthanreproducingit.

3. Videogamesandonlinemultiplayergameworldshavebeendocumentedtobethesiteof "naturally occurring, intrinsicallymotivated learning" (Squire,2006, p.22;seealsoDovey & Kennedy, 2006; Gee, 2003; Steinkuhler, 2007). Embedding a culture oflearning is the key goal for education, applying from the Early Years (Carr, 2001)throughoutatleastallyearsofemployment(Leitch,2006).

4. Inacontextofconstanttechnicalinnovationandever-changingneedsandorientations,fosteringalearningdispositionisequallyrelevanttoteachersasitistolearnersandsoitisvitalthatwemoveintoadifferentconceptionoftheteacher-learnerrolefromthatof'instructor- trainee' to a community of co-learners (Merchant, 2007). Teachers arechallengedtobecomedistinguishablethroughtheirfacilitationandcommunicationskillsrather than control of everything that happens. Working together in a cutting-edge,rapidly changing technological environment cannot be a site where anyone can

authenticallypresentthemselvesasthecarrierofallrelevantknowledgeandskills.TheSecondLifeenvironmentandfunctionality,havingnopre-definedobjectivesallowsuserstohavemaximumcreativecontroloftheenvironment.Wedecidedthataprojectusing SecondLife provided an opportunity to instantiate in an immediate and practical way some of thepositiveapproachestoeducationweweredebatingintheSchommunity.

1.2 Second Life andthe context of the origins ofSchome Park

SecondLifeissplitintotwodistinctandmutuallyinaccessibleareas.SecondLife(akatheMainGrid)isdesignedforadultsaged18andover,whileTeenSecondLife(akatheTeenGrid)isrestricted to teenagers aged between 13 and 17. Within each area users may move their

character,knownasanavatar,todifferentregionsknownasislands,whicharetypicallyownedbythirdparties.SecondLifeisusedinnumerouswaysforeducationalready,mostlyinvolvingadults.(SeeReLIVE08foronecollection.)TheprojectisaffiliatedintheUKtoTheOpenUniversity,whichasadistancelearninghighereducationinstitutioncommittedtoexploringthepotentialsofflexiblelearningenvironments.AtthetimeofthePilotthisinstitutionwasworkingwithtwoislandson SecondLifeandholdingsometutorialsin-world.However,asaccesstoTeenSecondLifeisagerestricted,itismoredifficulttoinvestigatetheeducationalpotentialofthisenvironment.InOctober2006,supportedwithfundingfromNationalEndowmentforScienceTechnologyandtheArtstheSchommunitypurchased an island inTeen Second Life called Schome Park. Schome Park was the firstEuropeanenclosedislandTeenSecondLife."Enclosed"heremeansthatuseisrestrictedto

childreninvitedtojointheproject,usuallyviatheirschools,withthewritteninformedconsentoftheirparentsandschoolsaswellasthemselves,plusadultstaffmembersoftheprojectwhoareindividuallyrecruitedandhavehadtheircredentialscheckedthroughtheCriminalRecords


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BureauEnhancedDisclosure.AvatarsoncejoinedcannotleavetheislandandvisitotherareasofTeenSecondLifenorSecondLife.Children participating in learningexperiencesonvirtualworldssuchasSecondLife are thesubjectofdichotomisedreactionsinmassmedia,policiesandofficialeducationalspheres.Ontheonehandarediscourseswithstrongclaimsforthebenefitsofsuchopportunities.Inthis

pilotprojecttheyareconceptualizedas SecondLife skills'and'knowledge-ageskills'. Morebroadly, these are sometimes linked in mass media to a sense of early possession of the'future'. Yet at the same time powerful discourses exist which link even a protected onlineenvironmenttoconcernsaboutdangerstochildren'swell-being.Writing intheDailyMail theprominentBritishjournalistJohnHumphrys(2008)woveapictureofactivitiesinonlineworldsconstitutedbyonlinepornography, theft, terrorismandencouragementto suicide.Heclaimedchildrenareliabletobeconfusedaboutthedifferencebetweenfantasyworldscharacterisedbysuchdangers,andthepleasuresandcontrastedauthenticityoftherealworld.SomestudentswithinthisPilotwereblockedfromusing SchomeParkfromwithintheirschoolsbytwolocalauthorities,whorefusedtopermitaccessthroughtheirfirewalls.Child abuse on the internet is amatter of enormous media and public concern in terms of

'grooming' towards sexual encounters, particularly with paedophiles, government ministersdevotepublicspeechestowardstheirconcernwithcyber-bullying(Wintour,2007)andintheUKanorganisationcalledtheChildExploitationandOnlineProtectionwasestablishedunderthestatutoryumbrellaof theSeriousOrganised Crime Agency.SecondLife foradults hasalsobeenthetargetofhyperboleandbacklashduringthelifeofthisPilot.Coveragefollowedthatfamiliarpattern fortechnologicalinnovationswithenormous impactfromextraordinaryhype:"an almost mythicalnirvana" (Harkin, 2006) to a subsequent spate ofdeflatory articles e.g."HowMadisonAvenueiswastingmillionsonadesertedSecondLife"(Rose,2007)followedbyco-existenceoftheextremes.Mindfulbothofconcerns forchildprotectionandalso thepitfalls thatoftenattend innovativeprojects including thosemaking use ofnew,often unstable technologicaldevelopments,we

recognisedthatvariouskindsofproblemsmayhavetobefacedyetshouldbediscussedintheacademic environment. A very small number of projects have used Teen Second Life foreducational purposes, for example Global Kids Inc. an independent not for profit USorganisation that works with disenfranchised young people in urban areas to help themdevelop leadership skills "by engaging them in socially dynamic, content-rich learningexperiences"(Joseph,2007,p.13).HoweverwiththeexceptionofoutputsassociatedwiththeGlobal Kids Inc. (seewww.globalkids.org)almost no research into the educationalpotential(andpitfalls)ofTeenSecondLifehadbeendocumentedorpublishedpriortothelaunchoftheSchome-NAGTYTeenSecondLifePilotreportedhere.

1.3 Project scope and aims

The Schome-NAGTYTeen Second Life Pilotoperated onSchomePark, a closed island inTeenSecondLife.Duringtheperiodstudiedthismeant149studentsrecruitedthroughNAGTY(TheNationalAssociationofGiftedandTalentedYouth)plustheadultswhostaffedtheproject.Inthepilotphaseparticipantswereall basedintheUK.The studentparticipants includedalargesub-sectionofyoungpeoplefromNAGTY'sGOALcohort,activelyinvolvingstudentsfromsociallydisadvantagedorethnicminoritybackgrounds.It is important to emphasise from the outset that activity on the island was integrated withactivitywithintheSchommunitywikiandforumthroughoutthePilot.TheperioddiscussedherewasfromMarchtoMay2007;anextensionprojectwassubsequentlyfundedbyBectaandaredesignedisland,SchomeParkII,openedon15thJune2007(andrecruitedsomeparticipantsbasedintheUSaswellasintheUK).

During the pilot we focussed on our aimwith four key objectives. Our central aimwas toprovideacohortofstudentsfromNAGTYwithavaluablelearningexperienceasanextension


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totheirformalschoolactivities.TheobjectivesweretoemploynewusesoftechnologyaffordedintheSLenvironmentto:

1. enableparticipantstofindoutfor themselves,bothindividuallyandcollaboratively,thescopeandpotentialityoflearningopportunities;

2. offer a variety of specific disciplinary learning opportunities (physics, ethics &philosophy,andarchaeology);

3. supporthighlydifferentiatedandself-pacedlearning;4. support vertical (e.g. between sectors) and horizontal (e.g. between institutions)collaboration

A full investigation of these objectives and all aspects of using the Teen Second Lifeenvironmentwouldbebeyondthescopeofthispaper.Inparticular,settinguptheprojectgaverisetosomeethicalchallengesthatarediscussedmorefullyelsewhere(Sheehy,Ferguson&Clough,2009).Our evaluatingactivityasreported inthispaperset out toexamine four keyquestions:

1. To what extent did the students (henceforth termed SParkers a name they chosethemselves)engagewithTeenSecondLife?

2. TowhatextentdidtheSParkersdevelopSecondLifeskills?3. TowhatextentdidtheSParkersdevelopknowledgeageskills?

4. WhatlessonsdidweaseducatorslearnaboutusingTeenSecondLife?TocontextualiseourfindingswewillfirstoutlinethekindofactivitiesengagedinbystudentsandstaffwithintheSchomeParkpilot.

2 Summary of Activities

2.1 Launch

InJanuaryandFebruarytheinitialformoftheislandwasbuiltinSecondLifeandthenmirroredontoSchomeParkovernighton15thFebruary.Substantialbuildingworksincludingatemple,Hadrian'sWall,areceptionarea,Sandbox(areaopenfortemporaryexperimentalbuilding)andhelpfacilitieswerecreatedinthenextfewweekswhilestudentswereenrolledonthepilot.The

vastmajorityoftheworkwasdonebytheeighthauthor,DanSeamans,withadditionalinputfromotherauthors.NewcomerstoSecondLifeinitiallywanttopersonalisetheiravatarsappearance,itemstheiravatarcaninteractorplaywithandopportunitiestostartbuildingorscripting(Boellstorff,2008).Inadditionnewcomers look for helpwith orienting themselves both socially and physicallywithin the environment. The main arrival/orientation point in Schome Park was thereforeestablishedastheScho-Op,alargetransparentbuildingontwofloors,nexttotheSandbox,that contained the help button and lots of easily accessible collections of freebies. Newstudentsor"SParkers"arrivingontheislandwerethusabletocollectitemsontheirfirstvisitanduse theSandboxarea toexperimentwith thesenew 'toys', aswellaspersonalise theirappearance with clothes, hair, wings, tails and other artefacts. Pressing the giant red help

buttonsentanemailtoallstaffonthepilotandthefirstavailablememberofstaffwouldgoin-worldtorespond.AsSParkerswereenrolledintothepilottheywereabletoparticipateindiscussionsintheforumand also learn how to contribute to the wiki, which became an ongoing record of thedevelopmentof thesiteand thosewhoparticipateonit. NAGTYprovidedacomprehensiverange of messaging boards for all subscribers over the duration of its existence. Thus theNAGTYstudentsjoiningthepilothadalreadyhadtheopportunitytoengagewithtext basedforumsandsomewereconfidentandableforumusers. From10thMarch2007SParkersbegantoappearin-worldon SchomePark.Therewereinitialdelaysduetoproblemswiththebatchregistrationsystem,whichweresoonresolvedbyLinden

Labs.InductionsessionswererunforthenewSParkers.However,theseprovedunnecessaryformanySParkerswhopreferredto learnindependently,rapidlymasteringbasicSecondLifeskills,seekinghelpfromin-worldstaffandpeers,orpressingtheHelpbuttonwhentheywere


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havingparticulardifficultiesifnobodywasin-worldwhocouldresolvetheirproblem.(Seefigure1.)Thiswasnottrueofallentrantsasshallbediscussedbelow.WhilstSParkerstendedtobefocussed on using Schome Park itself, some also engaged with the forum and beganexperimentingandcreatingwithinthewiki.ForexampleseveralSParkersstartedtobloginthewikiabouttheirexperiencesinSchomePark;wereferredtotheseblogswithinthewikiasblikis.

Figure 1.TheHelpbuttonwithstaffpresenceboardsbehind

MostSParkersinitiallyfocussedoncustomisingtheiravatarsappearanceandobtainingitems

fromtheScho-Op,asanticipated.Theystartedexperimentingwithbuildingandinsomecasessimplescripting,rapidlyfillingtheskywithawiderangeofobjects(somefromtheScho-Opandothers that they had constructed for themselves). Students rapidly formed friendships andalliancesamongstthemselvesandwithstaff,whererelationshipswerelessinhibited,perhapsasaresultofthelackofthemanystatusindicatorspresentinfacetofacesettings.Veryearlyinthelifeoftheislandweexperiencedoneserious'grieferattack'oractofminorsabotage,inwhichoneindividualbuiltboxesallovertheisland,preventingotherpeoplefromevenmovingaround.Thiswasanisolatedincidentthatwasresolvedwiththeassistanceofthepersonresponsibleforit.Nosimilar'attacks'occurredthroughouttherestofthepilot.

2.2 Student initiated activities

Thisheadingcoversactivitieswhichwereinitiatedbystudentsalthoughtheyreceivedarangeof support from the staff.Within a very short time in Schome Park students had debated,proposed,organisedandexecutedadiverserangeofeventssuchasaregatta,awedding,governancemeetings,amurdermysteryevening,lowprimbuildingclasses(constructionsthatmake relativelyminimal use of resources), chessmatchesandmore,all with great creativeenergyandenthusiasm.

2.3 Staff initiated activities.

Awiderangeofactivitiesensuedaroundthethreecorestrands:ethicsandphilosophy;physicsandarchaeology,aswellasarangeofothersledbystaffincludingresearchmethods,artificial

intelligenceandmachinima(makingfilmswithinSecondLife).Thethreecorestrandsdifferedinthenatureoftheactivitiesandhowtheywereorganised.


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Theethicsandphilosophysessionsinvolvedthememberofstaffpostingupaquestionorissuefordiscussionandthenmeetingwithstudents(intheJapaneseGardenon SchomePark)todebate that issue, usingwhatmight bedescribedasa Socraticapproach, for anhour. (Seefigure2.)

Figure 2.Anethicsandphilosophysession.Avatarnamebubblesabovetheheadshavebeenrenderednotvisible.

The physics sessionswereset upasworkshops inwhichstudents would bechallenged toinvestigate something, such as the physical forces operating on the island. They would besupportedindesigningresourcestohelpthemtestouttheirideas,e.g.,theybuiltatrebuchettotestgravitationalforcesonobjectsofdifferentsizes.Thearchaeologysessionstendedtoinvolvestudentsbeingsetaresearchtask,locatingandevaluatinginformationontheweb,andthendiscussingitin-world.TheyalsousedarecreationofpartofHadriansWalltoinvestigateourunderstandingofwhatitwaslike,andtoexperimentwiththeeffectsofchangingtheheightofthecentralwallitself(seeGreaves,2007forafuller

account).

3 Data collection

The pilot team shared a situated social constructivist perspective, which informed themethodological approach and our underpinning assumptions about the purposes of theresearch.Toexplainthisverybrieflywithintheconstraintsofthispaper,wemakeuseofthefollowing insights from cultural-historical psychology (see e.g. Chaiklin & Lave, 1996; Cole,1996;Lave&Wenger,1991).

1. Alllearningissituated,sothatpayingattentiontothecontextofthelearningexperienceisvital.

2. Learninghappenswithin communities and so it is important to examine interactions

betweenpeopleratherthanjustseekchangeintheindividual.3. At the level of the individual learning necessarily involves processesof change and

thereforeentailsmodificationsofidentity.


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Thisisacomplexviewoflearningforwhichaninterpretivistframeworkmakinguseofdiversedatasourcesisbestsuited.Thereforewecollectedawiderangeofdatawhichweanalysedusingarangeofbothqualitativeandquantitativemethods.Baselinedataaboutthelevelsofstudentengagementwerecollectedintheformof"systemstatistics":

1. sensors on Schome Park that once every five minutes recorded the names andlocationsofalltheavatarsontheisland;2. wikisoftwarerecordedahistoryofalleditsofanypagewithinthewikiwhichincludes

thenameoftheuser,whentheeditwassubmittedandwhatthechangestothepagewere;

3. forumsoftwarerecordedthenumberofpostsperperson. Qualitativedatawererecordedintheformof:

1. chatlogsi.e.,recordsofInternetRelayChat(synchronouswrittencommunications)wereautomaticallykeptofanydiscussionwhichstaffwereprivytowithinSchomeParkthensubmittedtoacentralrepository.

2. postings in the wiki, including the blikis which often contained snapshots taken inSchomeParkcapturingin-worldevents;

3. postingsin theforum manyofwhich includeddiscussionaboutplansanddecisionsregardingthepilot,andmorebroadlyabouttheSchomunnity;4. informalnotestakenbystudentsandstaffin-worldcomplementingthechatlogs;5. notesfromstaffabouteventstheyhadorganised;6. recordsofinformalinterviewsconductedbybothstudentsandstaffinwhichSParkers

wereaskedfortheirviewsontheirlearningexperienceswithinthepilot;7. aweb-basedquestionnaire thatasked respondents for informationabout their useof

TeenSecondLife,andspecificallyabouttheirSecondLifeskills;8. theartefactscreatedinSchomePark itself also representeddataabout thestudents

activitiesandlevelsofSecondLifeskills.Thefindingswereportbelowdrawupontheanalysesofthesediversesourcesofdata.

4 Findings

Thissectionisstructuredaccordingtothefourkeyquestionsasexpressedin1.3above.

Table 1.

DistributionofSParkersbyTimeSpentinSchomePark

HoursperSParker(n=149)

Number %

0 47 32

0.5to1 41 28

2to5 22 156to10 11 7

11to25 12 8

26to50 8 5

51to100 7 5

>100 1 1

4.1 To what extent did the Sparkers engage with Teen Second Life?

4.1.1 Engagement with Schome Park

Table1showsthedistributionofSParkersintermsofhowmuchtimetheyspentin SchomePark.Ofthe149SParkers102(68%)loggedintoSchomeParkatsomestageduringthePilot,with61(41%)spendingmorethan1hourin-world.26%oftheSParkersaccountedfor93%of


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thetimespentinSchomePark.Thestudentwhospentover100hoursin SchomeParkwasathome due to illness for several weeks. She tended to leave Schome Park running as abackground activity in much the same way that neo-millenials use the television or onlinemessaging.When something interesting happened in-worldshewould then activelyengagewithSchomePark.

Table 2. DistributionofSParkersbyNumberofWikiEdits

EditsperSParker(n=149) Number %

0

91

61

1to5 35 237to-25 11 726to100 9 6101to250 1 1251to500 2 1

4.1.2 Engagement with the wiki

Table2showsthedistributionofSParkersintermsofhowmanytimestheyeditedthewiki.Ofthe149SParkers,63(42%)loggedintothewikiatsomestageduringthePilotand58(39%)editedthewikiatleastonce.WhilstdataisnotavailableonthenumberoftimesthatSParkersviewedpagesinthewiki,thesedataseemtoindicatethatthemajorityoftheSParkersdidnotuseitasanintegralpartofthePilotforexample,theydidnotsignupforin-worldeventsonthewiki.

Table 3. DistributionofSParkersbyNumberofForumPostsPostsperSParker(n=149)

NumberofSParkers %

0 112 75

1to5 11 7

6to25 5 3

26to100 6 4

101to250 8 5

251to5004 3

>500 3 24.1.3 Engagement with the forum

Table 3 shows the distribution of SParkers in terms of howmany times they posted in theforum.Ofthe149SParkers37(25%)postedoneormoremessagesintheforum.WhilstdataisnotavailableonthenumberoftimesthatSParkersviewedmessagesintheforum,thesedata

seemtoindicatethatthemajorityoftheSParkersdidnotuseitasanintegralpartofthePilotforexample,theydidnotjoininthediscussionsrelatedtothein-worldevents.

Table 4. TimeinSchomeParkvsWiki/ForumuseHoursspentinSchomePark

Used

0(n=47)

0.5 to 1(n=41)

2 to 25(n=45)

>25(n=16)

Neither 87% 66% 40% 0%Wikionly 4% 24% 31% 0%Forumonly 6% 5% 0% 0%Forum&wiki 2% 5% 29% 100%


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4.3 To what extent do the Sparkers develop knowledge age skills?

StaffatNAGTYstartedtodevelopa knowledgeageskillsframeworkforusewithinthePilot,whichwasfurtherdevelopedbythepilotteam(seeTable5).Theframeworkisconcernedwiththe development ofmetacognitive skills with an emphasis on personal actions informed by

reflection.Therationale underpinningthis is thatwhilsthardwareandsoftwarearechangingrapidly the metacognitive skills required to function in an information age environment willremain the same. An important point within this work is that high order cognitive skills aredeveloped within specific environments and may only later become disembedded from aspecific environment, and applicable across different contexts. Therefore for the Schome-NAGTY Pilot we focussed only on the skills demonstrated within the schome communitywebsite(SchomePark,wikiandforum).

Table 5.TheknowledgeageskillsframeworkSkill Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Communication

Selectsandusesstructures,stylesandregistersappropriatelyinarangeofcontexts.Listenswithconcentrationandunderstanding.

Adaptscommunicationforarangeofsettingsandaudiences

Makesarangeofcontributions,demonstratingperceptivelistening

Takesaleadingrole,initiatingandsustainingconversation,andreflectingunderstanding

Teamwork

Projectspersonalcharacteristics

Receivesmessagesfromothers,sharesgoalsDevelopsprocesses

Valuesothers,understandsrolesandchangesinroles

Jointproblem-solvesManagesrelationships

Leadership Understandsandsetsgreatergoalsandpurposes

Setsexamples,explains

Recognisesskillsofpeers

Appliesownandothersskillsproductively

Creativity

Questionsandchallenges

Makesconnections,seesrelationships

Envisageswhatthingsmightbe

Reflectscriticallyonideasandpractice

In respect ofCommunication all studentswho engaged achieved at least level1.SParkerssometimes 'failed to demonstrate perceptive listening' eg through ignoring other students'comments at the startof the project but therewas a clear shift towardsmore collaborationtowardstheendofthePilot,especiallyontheforum.Forexample,approximately25%clearlyachievedlevel3and10%level4throughinitiatingandmoderatingdiscussionsandorganisingevents.InrespectofTeamwork tensionsandpowerstruggleswereevident inseveralearly

projectshowever 19SParkers(13%)demonstratedtheirabilitiestooperateat level4,beingactively involved insolvingsuchproblemsofgovernance.Asmightbeexpected, therewasconsiderableoverlapbetweenperformanceontheTeamworkandLeadershipdimensions;withsupport SParkersmoved from somewhat hierarchical approaches to the formation of sevengovernancegroups,eachofwhichhadthree'departmentofficers'.WhilemanyactiveSParkersthusprovidedLeadershipatlevel1thenumberswhoprovidedclearevidenceofworkingatthehigherLeadershiplevelsweremuchlower;howeverthestudentwholedthedevelopmentofthegovernancearrangementswasoperatingatlevel4.There is considerable evidence that SParkerswereoftenengaged increativeactivity inanatmosphereof interrogationandenquiry.One of the strengthsof the Pilotwas the ethosofwelcoming explorations, challenging assumptions and making mistakes. The SParkers

commented on thedifferencebetweentheSchomeCommunity and in theirownschoolsastheytriedoutmanyideas.Evidenceoflevel3CreativitywasmanifestindiscussionsastohowtheSchomeParkenvironmentmightbemodified.SchomeParkgaveyoungpeoplenotonly


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theopportunityfordiscussinghowthingsmightbebutthepossibility for implementingthem,whether through building tornados or developing the development of governancearrangements.Achievementofcriticalreflectiononideasandpracticewasrelativelyrarebutthefollowingquotationsfrominterviewsconductedinworldusingchatmanifestsomeinterestingunderstandings:

youalwaysgetafeelingthatyoucanapplytheskillsandexperienceheretoRL.justtalkingtonewpeopletoo,itbuildsupconfidence...Ilearnaboutrlthingsheretooyoucanchatinsimulatedenvironmentswhichismucheasierthenforumsibelieve...Theavatarskindofgiveyouafacewhatimeanisavatarskindofgiveyouasenseofyouactuallyspeakingtoarealperson..theavatarsarejustprojectionsofaperson.OnethingthatI'mreallygratefultoSchomeParkfordoingismakingmefeelmoreconfidentabouttryingnewthings,andalsoabouthelpingothersifIknowsomethingtheydon't,throughcommunication.Learningcertainlydoesn'thavetobeapenandpaper-ImuchpreferlearningthroughtheSchomeway,becauseithasmuchmorebearingonRLthanaloadofstuffIwillhaveforgotteninayear'stime.

4.4 What lessons did we as educators learn about using

Teen Second Life?4.4.1 Role of educators

OurexperiencehasborneouttheclaimsmadebyJoseph(2007,p.15):YoudonotneedtoknowsomethinginSecondLifeinordertoteachityoujustneedtoknowhowtoconnectyourstudentswithpeoplewhodo.Asasocialnetwork,informationandpeopleareever-presentandfluid;educatorswhocannavigatethesenetworksandtraintheirstudentstodothesameneednotrelyonbeingtheexpertimportingknowledgebutbecomefacilitatorsconnectingstudentsandinformation.Asteachersbecomefacilitators,andteensspecializeandtheirskillsstratify,learnersareable

toteachoneanother,notnecessarilyinaformalmannerbutinformally,whenrequired.Ratherthan isolate learners from one another, or discourage side conversations, the interactionsbetweenstudentscanbewheresomeofthebestlearningtakesplace,forallinvolved.We studied the games used and created during the pilot and discovered that the mostadvanced achievements happenedduring the mini projects that werestudent initiated. Forexampleamemberofstaffcreatedafullyfunctioningsudoku(numberpuzzlepresentedonagrid) which students quickly learned to operate, sometimes combining together to do so.However, the project ofbuilding a chessset demanded both high level technical skills andconsiderable levelsof teamworkandleadership. During this, thestudentsdecidedto rangethemselvesalongthesidesoftheboardsratherthanattheends,ameasureoftheirindicationofawarenessofthelevelsofcollaborationthattheprojectdemanded(seeSchomeCommunity,

2007).Combining thecommunicationchannels hasbeen extremely important: those studentsandteacherswhousetheforumandwikigainfarmorefromtheirSecondLifeengagements.Duringthepilotwelearnedmoreaboutthepracticalissuesinvolvedinthis.Forexample,onethreadchieflyadvertiseditseventsthroughinworldpostersandalthoughthereweresignuppagesonthewikitooneitherofthesewereverymuchattendedto.Thepilottaughtustheimportanceofasingle,well-maintainedeventscalendartowhichotherwikipagesandforumthreadslink.The project has provided some support for arguments made by prominent advocates oflearningthroughgaming suchasGee (2003)andSquire (2008)while alsoemphasisingtheimportanceofusingapedagogythatfitstheenvironment.


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4.4.2 Ethical issues and challenges.

The project was established with all the apparatus of ethical research projects includingconsent forms, acceptable use policy (AUP) and statements of intent and process. (SeeSheehy,Ferguson&Clough,2009forfurtherdetails.)Staffhaveabubbleabovetheiravatarheadsayingloggingchattoremindthestudentsthattheirinteractionsarebeingloggedwhen

thememberofstaffisinvolvedorpresent.Thisdoesnotpreventprivateinteractionsbetweenstudents.Asignificantchallengefacedbystaffonthepilotwasdealingwithbreachesof theAUP.ForexampleifastudentbroketheAUPbybeingdeliberatelyrudeorprovocativetoothermembersof the community it became necessary to impose sanctions. Issues were always dealt withopenlywithin thecommunity, usuallybydiscussionwithin the forums,anddifficultdecisionsweredebatedwithinputfromstaff,studentsandtheindividualatfocus.

5 Conclusions

The experience of the Pilot gave us great encouragement to continue to develop this

environment asa space for new opportunities and even freedoms in educationalpractices.Studentswhoengagedwiththeisland,thewikiandtheforumdemonstratedhigherlevelsoftheknowledge age skills of communication, leadership, teamwork and creativity. These skillsincludedtheabilitytoorganise,co-ordinateandworkcreativelywithotherstosetupandruninworldevents,theabilitytocollaborateconstructivelywithothesinthecreationofjointoutputssuchaswikipagesandotherresourcesandtheabilitytoself-regulatebothasindividualsandontheday-to-dayrunningandpolicingofthecommunity.Suchskillsarereadilytransferrabletoother environments such as higher level studies and workplaces in which the ability tocollaborateeffectively isessential. Howevernot all studentsengaged fullywith the SchomeCommunity. The study reported in this paper was conducted during phase 1. Subsequentphases used the lessons learned in phase 1 to attempt to improve engagement (Twining,2009).

At the time the Schome Community was founded the UK government set out prescientaspirationsforyoungpeople:todeveloptheskillsyouneedforparticipatingfullyinatechnology-richsociety...[youneedtobe]spendingmoretimelearningingroups,workingwithotherlearners,beingcreative,learningthroughchallenging,game-likeactivitiesandmaterials...andwithclearpersonalgoalsthatyouhelptoset.(DfES2005p.11).Onbalanceweconcluded thatevidencesupportedprogresstowardsthis visionandsuggestthatdespitemultiplechallengestherearedramaticnewpossibilitiesforpedagogicredesigns.

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Authors

[email protected]

SeniorLecturerinDigitalLiteracies,[email protected],CentreforResearchinEducationandEducationTechnology,TheOpenUniversityRebeccaFergusonr.m.ferguson@open.ac.ukResearchFellow,SocialLearn,TheOpenUniversityOliverWButtersoliver.butters@star.le.ac.ukResearchAssociate,UniversityofLeicester,[email protected]

ResearchAssociate,IET,[email protected],TechnologySystemsDevelopment,TheOpenUniversityAnnaPeacheya.peachey@open.ac.ukCOLMSCTTeachingFellow,[email protected],[email protected]

SeniorLecturer,CentreforChildhood,DevelopmentandLearning,TheOpenUniversity

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