Herbert Remidez

Networked systems for schools that learn

There are many goals for the use of technology in schools, including preparing students for tomorrow’s workplace and contributing to economic competitiveness. However, foremost among the goals for using technology in schools is the improvement of schooling itself. Advances in digital media and network technologies provide opportunities and expectations for school improvement. To that end, the U.S. Department of Education states as a primary goal that: “Digital content and networked applications will transform teaching and learning” [4]. Expectations for improvement in teaching and learning are fueled by dramatic increases in the levels of technology in our nation’s schools [8]. The percent of schools with Internet access increased from 35% in 1994 to 95% in 1999. Hope for improvement, however, is tempered by the recognition that even with these substantial increases in access to technology the impact on public education has been limited. After a year-long process of review and hearings, the Web-based Education Commission summarized the impact of Internet-based technology on education as: “Across America, people told us that the Internet offers one of the most promising opportunities in education ever. And yet they were troubled by their inability to harness its potential advantages” [7]. Referring to an earlier wave of technology and its expectations for school reform, Larry Cuban provided a one-line synopsis: “Computers meet classroom; classroom wins.” This epithet of computer-assisted instruction indicates that even with substantial investment and great efforts, the role of computer-assisted instruction was at best marginal. Current investments in wiring schools and bringing Internet access to teachers and students face the same challenge of actually making a difference in the ways schools work, teachers teach, and students learn.

Description of a Web-Driven, Problem-Based Learning Environment and Study of the Efficacy of Implementation in Educational Leader Preparation.

Abstract A Web-driven problem-based learning environment and instructional system was conceived and developed to study the marriage of the problem-based learning instructional method and Web technologies for instructional delivery of educational administration content material. The project described herein was undertaken to examine the efficacy of implementing this new mode of instruction in graduate courses in educational leadership. The ultimate goal of this line of research is to enhance the development of applications of Web technologies to support problem-based learning and improve the efficiency and efficacy of this instructional form in practice across higher education settings. This article describes the prototype software, the rationale and theoretical framework supporting its development, the process and results of research conducted during production and beta-testing, and the educational significance of the project.

CSCL for schools that learn

Learning communities and organizations are being recognized both as a mechanism for bringing learning about and as an explanation of what learning takes place. Systems that support learning in context and collaborative learning are increasingly being used to support performance and learning for school reform and business productivity. Similarly, many of the performance and learning outcomes that we care the most about, e.g., higher order thinking, problem solving, communication competencies, are understood as developing in the authentic activity of a community, such as a profession, a trade, or an academic discipline. Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a method for bringing the power of technology to support collaborative and contextual learning. This article argues that CSCL can be a framework for school reform, not just as a method of curriculum implementation, but also as a framework for enterprise-wide, process change. The article will also illustrate how cscl-type systems can facilitate schools becoming learning organizations, not just organizations that support learning.

NetWorked learning systems

New network-based learning systems are coming into use that offer the possibility of integrating curriculum support systems with student information systems as well as changing the metaphor of the Internet from library to workspace. We call these integrated and process-oriented systems Networked Learning Systems (NLS). An NLS is tentatively defined as a program or set of programs designed to operate over a network and support users as they undertake tasks or participate in processes related to learning. Computer Supported Collaborated Learning (CSCL) is one important type of process that can be enabled by NLS. Schools already have begun to adopt NLS. To adequately support CSCL in schools, it is necessary to understand the types and dimensions of networked learning systems currently available. This poster describes in detail one networked learning system, Shadow netWorkspace™ (SNS) (http://sns.internetschools.org), and highlights several other available networked learning systems.

Developing a shared language for discussing networked learning systems

New network-based learning systems are coming into use that offer the possibility of integrating curriculum experiences and student information systems as well as changing the metaphor of the Internet from library to workspace. We will call these integrated and process oriented systems Networked Learning Systems (NLS). A NLS is tentatively defined as a program or set of programs designed to operate over a network and support users as they undertake tasks or participate in processes related to learning. CSCL is one type, albeit an important one, of process that can be enabled by NLS. This interactive event is intended to help participants build a shared language to facilitate discussions related to NLS. Through participation in a series of online and face-to-face activities, participants will build knowledge of many networked learning systems currently available, identify important dimensions of these systems, understand what aspects of those dimensions are important and why, and develop an understanding of how the work they are doing relates to the field of NLS. Participants in this session will undertake the online activities within the Shadow netWorkspace™ (SNS) (http://sns.internetschools.org), a NLS being developed by the Center for Technology Innovation in Education at the University of Missouri-Columbia.