Collaboration in the Semantic Grid: a Basis for e-Learning

The CoAKTinG project aims to advance the state of the art in collaborative mediated spaces for the Semantic Grid. This paper presents an overview of the hypertext and knowledge based tools which have been deployed to augment existing collaborative environments, and the ontology which is used to exchange structure, promote enhanced process tracking, and aid navigation of resources before, after, and while a collaboration occurs. While the primary focus of the project has been supporting e-Science, this paper also explores the similarities and application of CoAKTinG technologies as part of a human-centred design approach to e-Learning

Case Study of Using a Social Annotation Tool to Support Collaboratively Learning

The purpose of the study was to understand student interaction and learning supported by a collaboratively social annotation tool — Diigo. The researcher examined through a case study how students participated and interacted when learning an online text with the social annotation tool — Diigo, and how they perceived their experience. The findings suggested that students participated actively in the collaborative learning activity and were engaged in a variety of behaviors including self-reflection, elaboration, internalization, and showing support. Although students generally had a moderately positive attitude toward using the social annotation tool for collaborative learning, a few problems were identified. In particular, students found it distracting to navigate through a large amount of annotation while reading the text. The study has implications for future research on using or developing social annotation tools for educational purposes

A collaborative-project memory tool for participatory planning

Technology is more and more providing planners and designer with tools and methods to collect and communicate spatial data and assist spatial analysis. When we think about new technologies supporting planning we mainly think about GIS, urban modelling, simulation models and virtual reality. But many other challenges to the planning practice need for tools to support and improve planning activities. In this paper we discuss the need of new tools to support knowledge representation and knowledge sharing in participatory planning processes. The paper describes the use of a hypermedia and sensemaking tool (Compendium) to structure the knowledge produced in a real participatory planning process. In the present application Compendium has been used not for real-time capturing but for a post-hoc analysis of a real participatory planning experience. Compendium has been used to represent and reconstruct the group memory of consultation meetings in order to allow both the planning team and the citizens to navigate into the contents of those meetings. Moreover the paper describes the main features and potential of the use of Compendium in Participatory Planning domain, and it describes the results of the group memory reconstruction. Finally the case study opens reflections on the need of new planning technologies supporting participatory knowledge generation, representation and management

Examining Student Learning and Perceptions in Social Annotation-Based Translation Activities

Limited research has been conducted on how to incorporate computer-supported collaborative learning into translation instruction despite the potential benefits. A study was conducted with a group of college English majors in China to examine the effects of using a social annotation tool to encourage student interaction during translation activities. The results showed that students made greater improvement when they completed the translation assignments with the support of a social annotation tool than when they completed the assignments in the traditional way. In addition, students had a positive attitude toward the use of the social annotation tool

The Value of Plurality in 'The Network with a Thousand Entrances'

This contribution reflects on the value of plurality in the ‘network with a thousand entrances’ suggested by McCarty (http://goo.gl/H3HAfs), and others, in association with approaching time-honoured annotative and commentary practices of much-engaged texts. The question is how this approach aligns with tensions, today, surrounding the multiplicity of endeavour associated with modeling practices of annotation by practitioners of the digital humanities. Our work, hence, surveys annotative practice across its reflection in contemporary praxis, from the MIT annotation studio whitepaper (http://goo.gl/8NBdnf) through the work of the Open Annotation Collaboration (http://www.openannotation.org), and manifest in multiple tools facilitating annotation across the web up to and including widespread application in social knowledge creation suites like Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web annotation

Does Applying Screenshot Annotations Enhance Learning Effectiveness? The Moderating Role of Course Difficulty

The rapid growth of information technologies has given rise to a variety of e-learning platforms. However, simply providing multimedia instructional materials does not necessarily improve users’ understanding of the instructional content. The study makes use of Flickr annotations, including stickers, drawings, and texts, to improve users’ learning performance while learning computer software. All users are able to upload screenshots to Flickr to demonstrate computer software problems and troubleshooting software. To clarify what their screenshots mean, they can describe their problems or provide their opinions by attaching annotations to a specific screenshot. Through the use of annotations, Flickr provides the users with an easier way to describe or understand problems. This study comprised a three-course investigation. In addition to understand users’ learning effectiveness, two context-related factors, peer opinion and personal innovativeness, were chosen as the basis for the research model. Based on data collected from 281 students, the results indicated that peer opinion had a positive effect on intention, whereas the effect of personal innovativeness, surprisingly, was negative rather than positive. Besides, the results based on the three computer software courses with different levels of difficulty confirmed the moderating effect of course difficulty

Main functionalities of the Knowledge Practices Environment (KPE) affording knowledge creation practices in education

ACM,; 978-1-4092-8498-4; Editors: Claire O'Malley, Daniel Suthers, Peter Reimann, Angelique Dimitracopoulou;Peer reviewe

Instructor versus Peer Attention Guidance in Online Learning Conversations

This paper reports a theory-driven experimental study for designing and evaluating two different forms of attention-guidance functionalities integrated into an anchored-discussion system. Using social constructivism as a motivating theory, we constructed a theoretical framework that emphasizes the importance of students’ attention allocation in online learning conversations and its influence on message quality and interaction patterns. The development of the functionalities, named faded instructor-led and peer-oriented attention guidance, aimed to direct students’ attention toward instructional materials’ central domain principles while offering them an open learning environment in which they could choose their own topics and express their own ideas. We evaluated the functionalities with heat map analysis, repeated measures general linear model analysis, and sequence analysis to assess the utility of the developed functionalities. Results show that attention guidance helped students more properly allocate their attention in online learning conversations. Furthermore, we found that the improved attention allocation led to better quality of students’ online learning conversations. We discuss implications for researchers and practitioners who wish to promote more fruitful online discussions

Facilitating Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning with Question-Asking Scripting Activity and its Effects on Students’ Conceptual Understanding and Critical Thinking in Science

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) provides an environment that enhances social interaction and shared knowledge construction among students. However, limited research has examined CSCL reinforced by question-asking scripting activity. This research investigated the effects of CSCL with question-asking scripting activity on the development of conceptual understanding and critical thinking in science. Moreover, the research design was a three-group pre-test-post-test quasi-experimental study in which the research sample were 106 Grade 7 students. The only difference between the control and the experimental groups was the exposure to CSCL. The experimental groups were exposed to CSCL approaches: one without scripting while one was exposed with question-asking scripting activity. Results revealed that CSCL approaches significantly affected the development of students’ conceptual understanding and critical thinking. Specifically, CSCL with scripting stimulated more intellectual discussion which allowed learners to deepen lesson comprehension and improve their critical thinking skills. Insights on the innovations through technology integration, collaborative inquiry learning, and question-asking activity to enhance science education were also discussed. The findings of this study have important implications for future practice

Techniques for fostering collaboration in online learning communities

Collaboration is, to date, extensively adopted for supporting learning processes, both in face-to-face and in virtual learning contexts. However, technology profoundly changes the nature of human interactions and, consequently, also changes the nature of the collaborative learning process, yielding a range of new potentialities and problems. "Techniques for Fostering Collaboration in Online Learning Communities: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives" provides a focused assessment of the peculiarities of online collaborative learning processes by looking at the strategies, methods, and techniques used to support and enhance debate and exchange among peers. Offering an extensive discussion of the design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of learning processes, this work reviews issues from both a theoretical and practical viewpoint and includes methodological contributions as well as perspectives on real experiences