Advocates of CSCL believe that technology can be used to support collaborative learning. Then, how can technology be used as cognitive tools to support collaborative learning? Kirschner and Erkens (2006) argue that technological tools for collaborative learning can support collective activities on different levels of coordination such as (Erkens, Prangsma, & Jaspers, 2006):
In addition to supporting communication and social interaction, some technological tools can also be used to visualize social presentation of participants. For instance, NodeXL is a free, open-source template for Microsoft® Excel that makes it easy to generate a visual presentation for group interactions. The following is a sample of visualization generated from NodeXL. Click on the graph will see more similar images. Activity NodeXL supports Direct Connections to Social Networks. NodeXL Basic allows for limited import of network data from Twitter search. NodeXL Pro adds the ability to import social networks directly from Twitter,Facebook, Exchange, Wikis, YouTube, Flickr and email, or use one of several available plug-ins to get networks from Surveys, WWW hyperlinks and social media cloud storage lockers.
The CoI model
A number of theoretical models can be used to track and analyze the collaborative learning process. For instance, the CoI (Community of Inquiry) model proposed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer(2000) states that learning occurs in a community through the interaction of cognitive, social and teaching presences. Cognitive presence refers to the extent to which the students in a community of inquiry are able to construct meaning through sustained communication. Social presence is the ability of students to project themselves as ‘real’ or ‘live’ people in a community of inquiry. Teaching presence includes subject matter expertise, and design, facilitation and direction of the learning process for the purpose of achieving learning outcomes (source:http://cde.athabascau.ca/coi_site/documents/Garrison_Anderson_Archer_Critical_Inquiry_model.pdf)
5 dimensions
Pozzi, Manca, Persico and Sarti (2007) propose a five dimension model for the study of learning processes in a collaborative learning environment, which includes:
Within each of these dimensions, specific indicators are defined. Within the participative dimension the following categories are established: Indicators of active participation: which include the number of messages sent by individual participants, the number of documents uploaded, the number of chat sessions attended, etc; Indicators of passive participation: which include the number of messages read, the number of documents downloaded, etc; Indicators of continuity, that is the distribution of participation along time (p. 172-173). The interactive dimension uses content analysis of messages and documents shared by students: Passive participation before posting, that is the number of relevant messages read by a student before posting his/her own, the number of documents downloaded before posting, etc. References to other students’ messages, that is the number of answers to other students’ messages, the number of implicit or explicit citations of other students’ messages, etc. Consideration of other students’ contributions in products, that is qualitative analysis of students’ messages and documents with the aim of finding references to others’ messages or documents. The social dimension is investigated through the identification of “cues that testify to affection and cohesiveness within communication acts. The following are cited as indicators in the social dimension: “Thematic units characterized by Affection, that includes expression of emotions, expression of intimacy, presentation of personal anecdotes. Thematic units characterized by Cohesiveness, that include vocatives, references to the group using inclusive pronouns, phatics, salutations” (p. 173). Indicators for the cognitive and meta-cognitive dimension also include thematic units: “Revelation, that is recognizing a problem, showing a sense of puzzlement, explaining or presenting a point of view; Exploration, that is expressing agreement/disagreement, sharing ideas and information, brainstorming, negotiating, exploring; Integration, that is connecting ideas, making synthesis, creating solutions; Resolution, that is real-life applications, testing solutions” (p. 173). Indicators for teaching presence in their five dimensions model include thematic units containing direct instruction, that is presenting contents, proposing activities, diagnosing misconceptions, confirming understanding through assessment and explanatory feedback; Thematic units aimed at facilitating discourse, that is identifying areas of agreement/disagreement in order to achieve consensus, encouraging, acknowledging or reinforcing participant contribution, setting the climate for learning; Thematic units addressing organizational matters, that is introducing topics, planning the course, explaining methods, reminding students of deadlines.
Click here to jump to top.
4 Comments
|