SPP - recruiting for the Schome Park Project

The schome-NAGTY Teen Second Life Pilot provided encouraging signs that Teen Second Life can enhance students’ learning, particularly in relation to ‘knowledge age skills’ (such as leadership, collaboration, etc). You can download a copy of the final report for that Pilot from
http://kn.open.ac.uk/public/document.cfm?docid=9851

The Schome Park Project is building on that initial Pilot – increasing the diversity of the student population and extending our understanding of the potentials and pitfalls of Teen Second Life. We are using a closed island in the Teen Grid of Second life – the only people who can access this island are students we have recruited by us and adults who have had appropriate ‘police checks’ within the last two years (eg enhanced CRB disclosures). Members of the project also have access to the Schommunity website (wiki, forum and SLog) which includes private as well as public areas – see http://www.schome.ac.uk/ .

We are currently looking to recruit 100 more students, aged 13 to 17 inclusive, to join the Schome Park Project. For this next cohort of students we will be meeting all the costs associated with registering the students on Schome Park and supervising their activities within the project (once they have returned their consent forms).

Interested students need to be 13 to 17 years of age and have access to a suitable computer (eg a fairly powerful PC or Apple) and broadband internet connection – most of our current students are active in the early evenings and at weekends.

Students have to be signed up through a school or other similar organisation that can confirm that they really are in the correct age range.

If you work in (or have contact with) a school that would be interested in some of its students joining the project then please get in touch – the only commitments the school are asked to make are to:
· Tell students about the project and provide those who are interested with a copy of the Info letter and consent form (a copy of which is attached for your reference) – students/parents then sign the forms and can return them directly to the Schome Park Project team.
· Confirm the names and dates of birth of students to whom they have given a copy of the info letter and consent form (eg by emailing this information to me)

Of course the opportunity does exist for staff to become involved in the project alongside their students if they wish to do so – we are interested in talking with teachers who would like to use Schome Park as part of their activities in school time – if this appeals to you then please get in touch.

You can find out more about the Schome Park Project via the schome website – http://www.schome.ac.uk/ (once there click on the link to Projects then scroll down to find the Schome Park Project).

The number of places is limited to 100 at this stage – and we will be working on a first come first served basis.

PeterT

Dr Peter Twining
Head of Department
The Department of Education
The Open University
Walton Hall
MILTON KEYNES MK7 6AA

Phone: +44 (0)1908 655078

Email: P.Twining@open.ac.uk
Second Life: Schomer Simpson/TheSchome Ranger

URL: http://schome.open.ac.uk/wikiworks/index.php/User:PeterT