Download COLLABORATIVE KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION

UNIVERSITY OF OSLO
TOOL5100
COMPUTER SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
Group Project:
Collaborative Knowledge Construction Environments
Presentation by: KNOWLEDGE CREATION GROUP
By: Arne Valen, Elena Stamatova, Shazia Mushtaq
Friday, 9.06.06
Introduction of the Project
Given project problem:
Collaborative knowledge construction environments
– Make a survey of key systems in this category
– Identify what learning experience they create for the users and to
what extent they integrate learning and working
– Organize the findings
– Documenting the process
– Writing the report
Collaborated Concept Definition
According to Wikipedia :
• Collaboration
refers to all processes where people work together,
applying both to the work of individuals as well as larger collectives and societies.
As an aspect of human society, the term is used in many varying contexts such as
science, art, education, and business.
•
Knowledge Building/Creation:
Is a phrase, created by Carl Bereiter and Marlene Scardamalia,
to describe the process which expert groups went through, when they created
knowledge.
Knowledge building refers to creation of new cognitive artifacts as a result of
collective discussion and synthesis of ideas.
•
Collaborative Knowledge Creation Environments
should be built on asynchronous, persistent collaborative technologies and be
deployed on the Internet as a Web-based environment. (from lecture slides)
Our Concept Definition
During the semester we have been introduced to several definitions and explanations of the
concepts presented below. Here we choose to present our understanding of them based on our
experience during the project work:
•
Collaboration
is not so much dependent on face-to-face communication, but is a joint activity where the
participants of the group gather together to work on a common goal.
•
Knowledge Building/Creation
is a learning process where the participants share their understanding and during their discussion,
they get better idea about the phenomenon, or in other words they ”see the light”.
•
Collaborative Knowledge Creation Environments
allows participants of a collective to share their understanding, experience and questions in order
to exhale higher level of understanding.
Introduction of new information affects the collective's understanding, as does the factor when key
members leave the group.
•
The two examples for Collaborative Knowledge Creation Environments are:
–
–
Wiki
FLE
Practical Project Work
As mentioned in the beginning the given project problem was redefined
based on our group discussions:
•
We will look into systems that will help or which can be used as a platform to build up knowledge
and allow the participants to exchange/interchange ideas and experiences.
•
We will try to include people with different levels of understanding, with possibility to exchange
information not only textual, but also facilitate audio and /or visual communication. We will also
include possibilities for real meeting rooms (eg. in Hospital, factory, schools etc.)
•
A system that invites the participants to use it in physical environments, such as in a meeting
room, therapy environment etc.
•
We choose to write our project in connection to the metaphors of Wiki. We will look into Wiki as a
tool, explore its possibilities and areas of use, future development of the system.
•
The research questions that we will address are:
1. Which parts of Wiki are suitable for various learning environments?
2. How can Wiki be integrated into social settings?
The Three Case Scenarios
• Scenario 1:
http://www.nrk.no/programmer/tv/brennpunkt/5531017.html
•
Patient group:
ADHD.
An open environment
•
User of forum will be:
Cross age (children and relatives)
various family background (level of education, social status etc.)
Professionals (doctors, practitioners, teachers, researchers,
pharmacists),
Other people who have interest
•
Content:
Medical, research, exchange of experiences
The Three Case Scenarios
• Scenario 2:
The Three Case Scenarios
• Scenario 2:
•
Reception centre for unaccompanied underage asylum seekers :
Closed environment, high level of security
•
User of forum will be:
Unaccompanied underage asylum seekers
Cross cultural, multi lingual, possibility for illiteracy
•
Observers, monitoring:
Milieu workers, teacher, administration
•
Content:
Personal experiences, chat, text, audio and visual
•
Complexity:
Additional to physical environment
•
Ownership:
Operator of the reception centre
The Three Case Scenarios
• Scenario 3:
•
Guest Workers with Families:
•
User of forum will be:
Cross cultural, mainly English
•
Content:
Personal experiences, chat, text, audio and visual
•
Observers, monitoring:
Administration, colleagues, families
•
Complexity:
Additional to physical environment, administrated
•
Ownership:
Employer, company
Partially closed and open Environments
Methods
• We have done survey on Internet (Wiki and FLE).
• Used Confluence Wiki to get experience about the functionality of
Wiki.
• Participated in the selected wikis(by registering), as for example
posting messages, testing out the access (i. e. editing of pages,
calendar, etc. in wishwiki & allotments4all).
• Looked into theoretical articles to gain understanding of the
challenges and relate them to the findings of wiki.
Wiki
• What is Wiki?
wiki is a type of website that allows users to add, remove, or
edit all content, sometimes without the need for registration.
• Why we wanted to use Wiki?
-
blogs, wiki, and RSS are getting popularity. (see the survey)
Sucess of wikipedia and proclamation of wiki as collaborative tool
makes it as interesting research object.
• Is Wiki suitable for various learning environments?
-
Joint writing facility
Free movement of users on the site
Combination of existing tools into one environment; use of forum, chat, calender, editing
functionality
" ...the use of computer as a medium or resource for collaborative learning ...
The computer can help ...to communicate and collaborate on joint activities,
providing assistance in the coordination process“
Sitation from Liam J. Bannon, 1989
Wiki
Analysis Document
•
AIDS dissident wiki: http://www.reviewingaids.org/awiki/index.php/Main_Page
AIDS Wiki is a community gathering place for AIDS dissidents to assist and foster
activism
•
Allotment4All wiki:
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_mambowiki/Itemid,37/
Allotment and Gardening discussion forum using Joomla, SMF, and mediawiki
•
Wiki site about wishes: http://wishwiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page
•
Wiki page for juggling:
http://www.psconclave.com/wiki/Thumbaround_Normal#Thumbaround_TXY_Normal
•
Wiki about Educational Technology and related fields:
http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Main_Page
•
Wiki providing help to learn wiki: http://www.eduwiki.info/HelpContents
•
CollectorsWiki: http://collectorswiki.org/index.php?title=Main_Page
Findings for Wiki
•
The way participants use the Edit functionality of wikis:
- provide collaborative knowledge building function BUT is it enough?
•
The different access functionality (password-protection) for registered
and guest users contributes in upholding the restrictions/limitations for
editing (making changes, access for various level of information).
•
Blocking certain IP address - problem for other users from the
same site to get access. (ex. Arne’s school)
•
”fight” for acceptance of your comments so they can be included in the
text which is being written. (ex. Wishwiki)
•
About visual story telling (ex. Juggling Wiki)
Story Telling
Critical Evaluation
Of project work process
- collaboration (e.g work division)
positive: mutual understanding
negative: dependency on persons
- coordination (e.g. installation)
access to mediates and artifacts
Conclusion
•
•
The answers of the three research questions:
1.
Which parts of Wiki are suitable for various learning environments?
2.
How can Wiki be integrated into social settings?
Answers:
1.
The decision which wiki one can use depends on the type of setting and the
requirements for functionality which he/she has.
2.
‘Is wiki the only way to build a social setting?’ Here is an example for an
alternative community which is called 'community server':
http://communityserver.org/ .
It can be an interesting topic for further research. We have not looked into this
matter. An example of its use is on the following page: http://dandyvibe.com/
Discussion
• Discussion on definition of the terms Collaboration and
Cooperation
• Discussion about the term ’collaboration’ in Germany
• Discussion on a topic connected to the project (How can
you create knowledge if it is something you have?
We think that it is more shared understanding than
knowledge, it is not necessary something new that you
build, ex. Definition of Collaborative Knowledge Creation
Environment is not available in Wikipedia )
• Questions?