Using Wikis and Chats to Promote Knowledge Building Communities
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The presentation discusses the use of wikis and chats to enhance knowledge-building communities (KBC) in educational contexts, focusing on a pilot study conducted by a research team. It explores the theoretical foundations, research objectives, and benefits of KBC, emphasizing collaborative learning and a sense of community among learners. The research findings support the promotion of agency, collective responsibility, and opportunities for personal sense-making in a technology-supported collaborative environment.
Using Wikis and Chats to Promote Knowledge Building Communities
- 1. Using wikis & chats to promote knowledge building communities Elizabeth S. Charles (representing research team including Chris Whittaker, Joel Trudeau & Nathaniel Lasry (John Abbott College) Presentation prepared for the Office of Instructional Development’s Education Technology Fair, December 12, 2008
- 2. Disclaimer All data presented was produced for the research project Technology Supported Collaborative Learning (TSCL) project, funded by PAREA 2007-2009. These data are the sole property of the research team and confidential. Please do not copy or site these data without permission from the researchers: Elizabeth (Liz) Charles, Chris Whittaker, Joel Trudeau (Dawson College) & Nathaniel Lasry (John Abbott College)
- 3. Overview of the presentation Brief description of theoretical foundation Description of the research project What we learned from the pilot study
- 4. current paradigms in teaching view learning as social
- 5. Technology supported learning Knowledge building communities (KBC) produce opportunities for: personal sense-making of concepts & practices restructuring of knowledge and resolution of misunderstood concepts & practices negotiation and co-construction of meaning (e.g., Chan, Burtis & Bereiter, 1997)
- 6. Research objectives Develop online Knowledge Building Communities (KBC) using First Class (FC) software suite Develop community-based KB learning activities (at the level of groups & class) Investigate what kinds of learning is afforded by the KBC & who benefits
- 7. Researchable benefits of KBC Promotion of a sense of agency (Charles & Shumar, 2007) Promotion of sense of community among learners (i.e., a sense of belonging and contribution) Promotion of willingness to take responsibility for learning ( collective agency ) (Charles & Kolodner, submitted)
- 8. Building our KBC environment
- 9. Designing KBC activities KBC activities Asynchronous – wiki/blog Asynchronous – lab question Synchronous – online chat Opportunistic KBC activities Folder for asking questions Folder for continuing classroom discussions
- 10. KBC group wiki activity_ pilot.w08
- 11. KBC group wiki_ pilot.w08 Group C: One sunny day in New York City, our friendly neighborhood Spiderman was taking his routine swing through the town. On his way to the Daily Bugle he spotted the ever so famous Britney Spears crossing a street in the middle of the NYC rush hour! Spidey's spider-senses went off and he instinctively swung down to save her...but he missed! It was quite an accident, he really wanted to save her, but maybe, subconsciously?...nah, it couldn't be. Thinking that it was not really a big deal he continued on his swing to the Daily Bugle leaving poor Britney in the middle of Times Square. Spidey arrived on top of the Bugle a short time later hoping to hand ol' J.J.J. (John Jonah Jameson - owner of the Daily Bugle) some new shots of the acclaimed "menace", Spiderman. Before our wall-crawler had the time to take off his mask, his spider senses went off again! "Now where could that possibly be coming from now?" he said to himself. He quickly looked down just in time to see a bank robbery in action. But this was not a normal bank robbery, it was the Vulture up to his old ways again! How did he manage to get out of jail? That would be a question our hero would have to answer later because the Vulture had just spotted him and had taken off into the air.
- 12. KBC class wiki activity_ F08
- 13. Individual blog entry_ feedback?
- 14. KBC synchronous group chat_ F08 Question to group: Physicists estimate the total mass of luminous matter in a galaxy by measuring the galaxy's brightness. They observe that stars within many galaxies orbit around their galactic centers at speeds higher than expected. Using ideas from the lab on circular motion, give an explanation for these observations
- 15. KBC asynchronous class chat_F08
- 17. Opportunistic KBC_ students chat
- 18. Guidelines for designing KBCs Limit individual online activities Design mix of group & class activities Take advantage of in-class group activities to build whole class online chats – synchronous or asynchronous Give students authority to learn – both in-class and on-line
- 19. Acknowledgements This research is made possible by PAREA funding We wish to thank: The office of Professional Development and Research The Finance department All the students who participated in this project F07, W08, F08
- 20. Thank you