In this article, we discuss the importance of recognizing students' technology-enhanced informal learning experiences and develop pedagogies to connect students' formal and informal learning experiences, in order to meet the demands of the knowledge society. The Mobile-Blended Collaborative Learning model is proposed as a framework to…

The impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in primary and secondary education is still an open question. Following review of the available literature, we classify the causes of the lack of impact on students' attainment in four dimensions: (1) the design and implementation of ICT in educational settings; (2) the evaluation of its…

In contexts other than immersive virtual environments, theoretical and empirical work has identified flow experience as a major factor in learning and human-computer interaction. Flow is defined as a "holistic sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement". We applied the concept of flow to modeling the experience of…

In the field of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), scripts are designed to support collaboration among distant learners or co-present learners whose interactions are (at least partially) mediated by a computer. The rationale of scripts is to structure collaborative learning processes in order to trigger group interactions that may…

Recent educational computer-based technologies have offered promising lines of research that promote social constructivist learning goals, develop skills required to operate in a knowledge-based economy (Roschelle et al. 2000), and enable more authentic science-like problem-solving. In our research programme, we have been interested in combining…

Recent research on instructional technology has focused increasingly on the potential of computer support to promote collaborative learning. Socio-cultural theories have been imported from cognate fields to suggest that cognition and learning take place at the level of groups and communities as well as individuals. Various positions on this issue…

In this paper, we give a detailed account of the design principles and construction of activities designed for learning about the relationships between position, velocity and acceleration, and corresponding kinematics graphs. Our approach is model-based, that is, it focuses attention on the idea that students constructed their own models--in the…

In recent years, novel paradigms of computing have emerged, which enable computational power to be embedded in artefacts and in environments in novel ways. These developments may create new possibilities for using computing to enhance learning. This paper presents the results of a design process that set out to explore interactive techniques,…

There is a need to incorporate constructivist environments in the pedagogical practice. A constructivist learning environment allows students to build up their own knowledge (based on previous one) while working jointly among them in a reflexive process directed by the teacher. Wireless interconnected handhelds can introduce a space that favours…

Research into computer-supported collaborative working (CSCW) and computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL) traditionally emphasize their differences, but each research domain can offer insights into the other. This article draws on both research areas to create a framework based on activity theory for applying communication technology to…

Describes the Vicarious Learner Project, a project which investigates the fundamental role of dialog for learning, specifically the benefits to learners of being able to observe others participating in discussion. Theoretical aspects of the work, a high-level process model of learning, and a more detailed logic model of what happens in educational…

Describes a study which explored undergraduate students' reactions to a Web-based environment supporting problem-based learning. Findings revealed that while the majority of students saw value to be gained from learning in a student-centered, collaborative setting, many expressed preference for learning in the more conventional teacher-directed…

Discussion of the collaborative use of computers in the classroom highlights the National Curriculum in the United Kingdom. Literature is reviewed which tends to support the generalization that the use of computers in groups leads to positive educational gains, and teacher attitudes are explored. (45 references) (LRW)