Matt Bower

Affordance analysis – matching learning tasks with learning technologies

This article presents a design methodology for matching learning tasks with learning technologies. First a working definition of “affordances” is provided based on the need to describe the action potentials of the technologies (utility). Categories of affordances are then proposed to provide a framework for analysis. Following this, a methodology for designing e‐learning experiences by matching the affordance requirements of tasks with the affordances offered by the available technologies is described. Rather than being prescriptive, the methodology is designed to be adjustable, expandable, and applied to various degrees of rigor depending on the context. An example application of the methodology is provided for illustrative purposes. Une analyse des capacités – Faire correspondre les tâches d’apprentissage avec les technologies d’apprentissage Cet article présente une méthodologie de conception permettant la mise en phase des tâches d’apprentissage avec les technologies d’apprentissage. On fournit tout d’abord une définition opérationnelle des « capacités », définition fondée sur la nécessité de décrire le potentiel actif des technologies (utilité). On propose ensuite des catégories de capacités afin d’offrir un cadre d’analyse. A la suite on présente une méthodologie d’élaboration des expériences de e‐learning en faisant correspondre les besoins en capacités de chaque tâche avec les capacités offertes par chaque technologie. Cette méthodologie n’est pas prescriptive mais elle est plutôt conçue pour être modifiable, extensible et appliquée aux divers degrés de rigueur en fonction du contexte. A titre d’illustration, on fournit un exemple d’application de cette méthodologie. Affordanz‐Analyse – die richtige Lerntechnologie passend zur Lernaufgabe In diesem Artikel wird eine Entwurfsmethode vorgestellt, um Lerntechnologien passend zur Lernaufgabe auszuwählen. Zunächst wird eine Arbeitsdefinition von “Affordanz” (Nutzungsangebot einer Technologie) vorgestellt, die vom Bedarf einer Beschreibung von Aktionspotenzialen der Technologien ausgeht (Nützlichkeit). Kategorien von Affordanz werden dann vorgeschlagen, um einen Rahmen für die Analyse zu liefern. Dieser Richtung folgend wird eine Methodologie zur Gestaltung von Erfahrungen beim e‐Learning vorgeschlagen, die zur Übereinstimmung der Anforderungen an die Affordanz von Aufgaben mit der Affordanz angebotener Technologien führen. Diese Methodologie ist nicht präskriptiv, sondern anpassungsfähig und ausdehnbar, außerdem anwendbar auf verschiedene Starrheitsgrade in Abhängigkeit vom Kontext. Eine Beispielanwendung soll diese Methodologie illustrieren. Un análisis de capacidades – La sintonización de las tareas de aprendizaje con las tecnologías de aprendizaje El presente artículo presenta una metodología de diseño para sintonizar las tareas de aprendizaje con las tecnologías de aprendizaje. En primero lugar se facilita una definición operacional de las « capacidades » basada en la necesidad de ofrecer una descripción de los potenciales operacionales de las tecnologías (utilidad). En segundo lugar presentamos algunas categorias de capacidades para armar un marco de análisis. A continuación se describe una metodología para diseñar experiencias de e‐learning basada en la sintonización de las capacidades que requieren las diversas tareas con las capacidades propias de las tecnologías disponibles. En su diseño, esa metodología no es prescriptiva sino más bien adaptable, expandible y aplicable a diversos grados de rigor en función del contexto. Para ilustrar eso se facilita un ejemplo de aplicación.

A framework for Web 2.0 learning design

This paper describes an approach to conceptualising and performing Web 2.0‐enabled learning design. Based on the Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge model of educational practice, the approach conceptualises Web 2.0 learning design by relating Anderson and Krathwohl’s Taxonomy of Learning, Teaching and Assessing, and different types of constructive and negotiated pedagogies to a range of contemporary Web 2.0‐based learning technologies. The learning design process can then be based upon the extent to which different Web 2.0 technologies support the content, pedagogical, modality and synchronicity requirements of the learning tasks. The model is resilient to the emergence of new Web 2.0 tools, as it views technology as only a mediator of pedagogy and content with attributes to fulfil the needs of the learning episode. A range of possible use cases, categorisations and examples are offered to illustrate the learning design concepts and processes, in order to promote more savvy and expedient application of Web 2.0 technologies in learning and teaching contexts. Ein Rahmen für Web 2.0‐Learning‐Design Dieses Papier beschreibt einen Ansatz für die Konzipierung und das Ausführen von Web‐2.0‐aktiviertem Learning Design. Auf der Grundlage des technologischen und pädagogischen Wissens und dem Content Knowledge‐Modell der Bildungspraxis wurde der Ansatz des Web 2.0 Learning Design im Zusammenhang mit Anderson und Krathwohl’s Taxonomie des Lernens, Lehrens und Bewertens konzipiert, und verschiedene Arten von konstruierten und ausgehandelten pädagogischen Ansätzen zu einer Reihe von modernen Web‐2.0‐basierte Lern‐Technologien berücksichtigt. Der Learning‐Design Prozess kann dann auf dem Umfang, die verschiedenen Web 2.0‐Technologien, dem pädagogischen Content, der Modalität und Synchronizität. die die Anforderungen der Lernaufgaben unterstützen, basieren. Das Modell ist offen für die Anforderungen der neuen Web 2.0‐Tools, soweit es Technologie nur als Vermittler der Pädagogik und Inhalte der Bedürfnisse der Learning‐Episode zu erfüllen hat. Eine Reihe von möglichen Anwendungsfällen, Kategorisierungen und Beispielen werden angeboten, um das Lernen zu illustrieren und das Entwerfen von Konzepten und Prozessen zu unterstützen und um weitere spezielle und ratsame Anwendungen der Web 2.0‐Technologien in den Kontexten Lehren und Lernen zu fördern. Un cadre pour la conception d’un apprentisage en Web 2.0 Cet article décrit une façon de conceptualiser et de réaliser la conception d’apprentissages reposant sur la Web 2.0. En s’appuyant sur les modèles de pratique éducative fondés respectivement sur les connaissances technologiques, les connaissances pédagogiques et les connaissances du contenu, cette approche théorise la conception d’apprentissages de la Web 2.0 en reliant la Taxonomie de l’Apprentissage, l’Enseigner et Evaluer d’Anderson et Krathwohl ainsi que différents types de pédagogies constructives et négociées à une gamme de technologies d’apprentissage contemporaines fondées sur le Web 2.0. Le processus de conception de l’apprentissage peut alors se baser sur la mesure où différentes technologies de la Web 2.0 répondent aux exigences pédagogiques, de modalité et de synchronicité des tâches d’apprentissage. Ce modèle résiste à l’émergence de nouveaux outils Web 2.0 du fait qu’il considère la technologie seulement comme une médiatrice de la pédagogie et du contenu avec des attributs servant à répondre aux besoins de tel ou tel épisode d’apprentissage. Une gamme de cas d’usages possibles, des catégorisations et des exemples sont présentés pour illustrer les concepts et processus de la conception des cours, ceci afin de mettre en avant une application plus subtile des technologies Web 2.0 dans des contextes d’apprentissage et d’enseignement. Un marco referencial para el diseño de aprendizaje en la Web 2.0 El presente artículo describe una aproximación a la conceptualización y realización del diseño de un aprendizaje basado en la Web 2.0. Apoyandose en los modelos de práctica educativa fundados en Conocimientos Tecnológicos, Conocimientos Pedagógicos y Conocimientos de Contenidos la presenta aproximación conceptualiza el diseño de aprendizaje en la Web 2.0 conectando la taxonomía del aprendizaje, enseñanza y evaluación de Anderson y Krathwohl así como varios tipos de pedagogías constructivistas y negociadas con una gama de tecnologías de aprendizaje contemporáneas basadas en la Web 2.0. El proceso de diseño del aprendizaje puede entonces basarse sobre la medida en que varias metodologías de la Web 2.0 satisfacen las exigencias de contenido, pedagogía, modalidad y sincronicidad de las tareas de aprendizaje. El modelo está resiliente a la emergencia de las nuevas herramientas Web 2.0 en la medida en que se considera la tecnología solamente como un mediador de tecnología y contenido con atributos que permiten cumplir con las necesidades de tal o tal episodio de aprendizaje. Se ofrece una gama de casos de usos posibles, de clasificaciones y ejemplos para ilustrar los conceptos y procesos de diseño del aprendizaje y por ende fomentar una aplicación más sutil y expediente de las tecnologías de la Web 2.0 en contextos de aprendizaje y enseñanza.

Synchronous collaboration competencies in web‐conferencing environments – their impact on the learning process

Based on a three‐semester design‐based research study examining learning and teaching in a web‐conferencing environment, this article identifies types of synchronous collaboration competencies and reveals their influence on learning processes. Four levels of online collaborative competencies were observed – operational, interactional, managerial, and design. The relative importance of students and teachers possessing the different levels of competencies depended on the degree of interactivity in the learning designs being applied. Both misunderstandings and misuses impacted on learning and collaborative processes, with misuses occurring more persistently throughout semesters than misunderstandings. The distinction between developing students’ technical skills and their collaborative capabilities is drawn. Strategies for developing each are recommended.

Learning through Social Networking Sites--The Critical Role of the Teacher

This comparative case study examined factors affecting behaviour and learning in social networking sites (SNS). The behaviour and learning of two classes completing identical SNS based modules of work was observed and compared. All student contributions to the SNS were analysed, with the cognitive process dimension of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy used to measure the type of thinking that students demonstrated. Key findings include the trade off between social and learning contributions, the potential of SNSs to enhance motivation and digital literacy development, and the critical role of the teaching in influencing the behaviour and learning that transpired. Effective teacher implementation in the SNS was associated with positive teacher–student relationships, establishing a ‘learning’ rather than ‘social’ attitude towards the SNS, and the online presence that the teacher exerted.

A quantitative multimodal discourse analysis of teaching and learning in a web-conferencing environment - The efficacy of student-centred learning designs

This paper presents a quantitative approach to multimodal discourse analysis for analyzing online collaborative learning. The coding framework draws together the fields of systemic functional linguistics and Activity Theory to analyze interactions between collaborative-, content- and technology-related discourse. The approach is used to examine how the task subject matter, the activity design, and the choice of interface affected interaction and collaboration for a computing course conducted in a web-conferencing environment. The analysis revealed the critical impact of activity design on the amount and type of discourse that transpired. Student-centred designs resulted in over six times more student discourse as compared to teacher-centred designs and created a learning environment where students took greater ownership over the tasks and contributed more to the content-based discussion. The paper also incorporates a rationale for the approach to coding and a reflection on its efficacy for discourse analysis in technology-based learning environments.

Design and implementation factors in blended synchronous learning environments: Outcomes from a cross-case analysis

Abstract Increasingly, universities are using technology to provide students with more flexible modes of participation. This article presents a cross-case analysis of blended synchronous learning environments—contexts where remote students participated in face-to-face classes through the use of rich-media synchronous technologies such as video conferencing, web conferencing, and virtual worlds. The study examined how design and implementation factors influenced student learning activity and perceived learning outcomes, drawing on a synthesis of student, teacher, and researcher observations collected before, during, and after blended synchronous learning lessons. Key findings include the importance of designing for active learning, the need to select and utilise technologies appropriately to meet communicative requirements, varying degrees of co-presence depending on technological and human factors, and heightened cognitive load. Pedagogical, technological, and logistical implications are presented in the form of a Blended Synchronous Learning Design Framework that is grounded in the results of the study.

Groupwork activities in synchronous online classroom spaces

This paper shares insights about the deployment of groupwork activities in synchronous online classroom spaces. It is based upon analysis of 48 hours of online lesson recordings from an Introduction to Programming (in Java) subject conducted over two semesters. Key observations are shared about how factors such as the type of the activity, the level of student technological and communicative competencies, the interface design and the task specification influenced discourse and learning. On this basis recommendations for teaching using virtual classroom groupwork are offered in order to assist academics who may be considering similar approaches to teaching online.

Making enactivism even more embodied

The full scope of enactivist approaches to cognition includes not only a focus on sensory-motor contingencies and physical affordances for action, but also an emphasis on affective factors of embodiment and intersubjective af- fordances for social interaction. This strong conception of embodied cognition calls for a new way to think about the role of the brain in the larger system of brain-body-environment. We ask whether recent work on predictive coding offers a way to think about brain function in an enactive system, and we sug- gest that a positive answer is possible if we interpret predictive coding in a more enactive way, i.e., as involved in the organisms dynamic adjustments to its environment.

A taxonomy of task types in computing

Based on the systematic development of a curriculum for our undergraduate computer science units, an analysis of general education and CSE literature and consultation with other computer science educators, a taxonomy of task types in computing is proposed. These task types are related to one another in a hierarchical fashion based on their cognitive interdependencies. The taxonomy can be applied by academics to guide the development of curriculum that meets student process based learning needs rather than just content needs, the latter being the current norm.

Supporting Pre-Service Teachers' Technology-Enabled Learning Design Thinking through Whole of Programme Transformation

This paper explains a development and evaluation project aimed at transforming two pre-service teacher education programmes at Macquarie University to more effectively cultivate students’ technology-enabled learning design thinking. The process of transformation was based upon an explicit and sustained focus on developing university academics’ Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capabilities so that they could successfully integrate technology throughout their pre-service teacher education programme subjects and model the approaches they were aiming to foster in their students. The initiative involved appointing ICT Pedagogy Officers to work directly with academic staff, funded as part of the Australian Teaching Teachers for the Future Project. Key findings include the sustained effort that is required in order to engender change, and the primary importance of relationship building in successful ICT education development.