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Descriptors:
Middle School Students; Interaction; Problem Solving; Mathematics Instruction; Synchronous Communication; Visual Aids; Computer Mediated Communication; Discussion; Computer Assisted Instruction; Multimedia Instruction; Multimedia Materials; Content Analysis; Discourse Analysis; Cooperative Learning; Instructional Effectiveness; Learning Processes

Abstract:
In this paper we examine how two groups of middle school students arrive at shared understandings of and solutions to mathematical problems. Our data consists of logs of student participation in the Virtual Math Teams (VMT) system as they work on math problems. The project supports interaction both through chat and through a virtual whiteboard. We have examined in detail, the sequential work these students do to constitute and specify "the problem" on which they are working in the ways they produce whiteboard objects and text postings. Solutions emerge as students come to understand the problem on which they are working. This understanding is achieved through gradual respecification of the math problem on which they are working. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Computer Mediated Communication; Discussion; Internet; Computer Uses in Education; Blended Learning; Instructional Effectiveness; Comparative Analysis; Content Analysis; Learning Activities; Learning Processes; Notetaking; Health Education

Abstract:
This article reports a theory-driven experimental study that evaluates the effects of an annotation functionality on online social interaction and individual learning outcomes. The central hypothesis of this study is that directly addressing a part of a text by annotating it and then connecting each annotation with its related discussion can decrease coordinative interaction costs and result in a higher-quality discussion that favors greater gains in individual learning outcomes. To reach our objective, we carried out a theory-driven experimental study that compares two versions of an anchored discussion system: one with annotation functionality and one without it, both displaying the learning material side by side with its associated discussion in one window. Participants were 106 students enrolled in two sections of a blended-format course in health education. We assigned each section to a software condition. The examination of students' online social interaction centered on a fine-grained content analysis of coordination and knowledge construction activities as well as sequential analysis of knowledge construction activities. The results indicate that annotation functionality decreased coordinative interaction costs and stimulated more elaborated discussions that favored greater gains in individual learning outcomes. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Liberal Arts; Biblical Literature; Teaching Methods; Conferences (Gatherings); Clergy; Undergraduate Students; College Faculty; Theological Education; Discussion; Teacher Attitudes

Abstract:
This discussion of the goals and methods of teaching biblical literature is an edited transcription of a panel recorded at the 2010 Society for Biblical Literature conference. The panelists were asked to reflect on William Placher's recently published theological commentary on Mark as an example or test case of how one might use a biblical commentary as a classroom resource. Karl Barth wrote that insofar as their usefulness to pastors goes, most modern commentaries are "no commentary at all, but merely the first step toward a commentary." What value might commentaries have for our students, whether future pastors or undergraduates in the liberal arts? While the panel consisted of teachers of undergraduates as well as theological students, the emphasis of the presentations and subsequent discussion focused mostly on theological formation. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Writing Instruction; Assignments; Classroom Communication; Discussion; Definitions; Literacy; High Stakes Tests; Knowledge Level; Correlation; Learning Processes

Abstract:
This paper expands on the view that the documentation of the ways in which teachers and students produce definitions of such operational matters as "reading", "writing", "learning" and "knowledge" in classrooms is discoverable in the details of the speech exchange systems in those sites. The paper provides a brief introduction to applied ethnomethodological inquiry, especially as it has focused on classrooms, and applies it to transcripts of extracts from lessons. One conclusion concerns the fine coordination of interaction that classrooms display. A second conclusion concerns procedural definitions of the connection between literacy and knowledge that serve the purposes of initiating and maintaining lessons, compared to definitions that are operable in the production and assessment of students' learning through their written assignments. The suggestion is that constructs such as "knowledge" are occasioned, purpose built-through on site through conventionalized systems of exchange that, reflexively, function to bring off the events that constitute the workings of such sites. The challenge for students in many classrooms seems to be to provide the "missing what" that connects the daily heavy duties of classroom talk, which determines their success as classroom participants, to the occasional high-stakes writing performances that will come to characterize their success as learners. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Evidence; Literacy; Teaching Methods; Preservice Teachers; Computer Mediated Communication; Discussion; Literacy Education; Reflection; Reflective Teaching; Information Technology; Teacher Education

Abstract:
Within the context of an undergraduate literacy methods course, preservice teachers received opportunities to read engaging and meaningful text that challenged their thinking (McVee, Baldassarre, & Bailey, 2004) and respond to specific prompts through an online dialogue discussion and written reflective summaries. This article describes the process these preservice teachers engaged in as they discussed and reflected on their experiences in a language arts class. In the online dialogue, the preservice teachers engaged in reflective strategies that included clarifying, enhancing, providing evidence, challenging, and different thinking. As they dialogued and wrote reflective summaries, these students deepened their comprehension of literacy instruction and enhanced their meta-cognitive awareness of instructional practice as teachers of literacy. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Electronic Learning; Online Courses; Social Capital; Constructivism (Learning); Communities of Practice; Web Based Instruction; Self Concept; Social Theories; Learning Processes; Background; College Students; Student Characteristics; Asynchronous Communication; Computer Mediated Communication; Discussion; Vignettes; Learning Theories

Abstract:
This article discusses the possibilities that tacit knowledge could provide for social constructivist pedagogies; in particular, pedagogies for online learning. Arguing that the tacit dimension of knowledge is critical for meaning making in situated learning practices and for a community of practice to function, the article considers whether individuals' online identities can be employed as a way to reveal their tacit knowledge. Furthering the discussion, the article analyses tacit knowledge within a community and suggests that social capital theory could productively be employed for utilising tacit knowledge within any given online learning community. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Goal Orientation; Problem Based Learning; Teaching Methods; Feedback (Response); Reflection; Focus Groups; Health Sciences; Tutoring; Mixed Methods Research; Pretests Posttests; Scores; Discussion

Abstract:
Within Problem-Based Learning successful learning depends on the quality of cognitive, social and motivational contributions students make to the tutorial group. But at the same time, not all students in PBL automatically contribute in a high quality manner, which might impede successful group functioning. This study investigated whether peer process feedback combined with goal setting can be used to improve the quality of students' individual contributions. A mixed-methods explanatory design, in which 74 second-year Health Sciences students participated, combined a pre- and posttest with a focus group. The results indicated that the quality of the contributions only increased for students with a below average score on the pre-test. The qualitative data confirmed that the impact of the feedback could be increased by combining individual reflection by means of goal setting with face-to-face discussion. Another suggestion is to investigate whether midterm peer process feedback is more effective for first year students, because they are still developing their tutorial behavior, as opposed to second year students. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Mixed Methods Research; Discourse Analysis; Questionnaires; Interviews; Data Analysis; Computer Mediated Communication; Discussion; Blended Learning; Internet; Computer Graphics; Second Language Learning; English (Second Language); Foreign Students; Nonverbal Communication; Communication Strategies; Misconceptions; Writing Instruction; Adult Students; Writing Strategies; Integrated Learning Systems; Second Language Instruction; College Instruction; Affective Behavior

Abstract:
This mixed-methods study looks at patterns of emoticon usage in adult, ESL student writing. Data are drawn from 13 students and their participation in online discussion forums designed to supplement a traditional ESL writing course. The study conceptualizes computer mediated communication as a hybridized and emergent form which utilizes features of both oral and written discourse. Emoticons are seen as central to this hybridity in terms of their ability to serve as textual representations of oral discourse features. Findings from this study suggest that emoticon usage is prevalent in the writing of some non-native speakers of English but that usage patterns vary significantly across individuals. Previous experience with discussion forums in the first language as well as emoticon familiarity are identified as mediating factors in emoticon usage in English. The study also raises concerns about the multiple interpretations of emoticons and the possibilities for miscommunication and misunderstanding. (Contains 8 tables and 1 note.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Technology; Adult Learning; Electronic Learning; Online Courses; Research and Development; College Instruction; Educational Finance; Computer Mediated Communication; Discussion; Instructional Effectiveness; Distance Education; Web Based Instruction; Educational Trends; Mass Instruction; Large Group Instruction; Virtual Classrooms; Influence of Technology

Abstract:
Surely "massive open online course" (MOOC) has one of the ugliest acronyms of recent years, lacking the deliberate playfulness of Yahoo (Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle) or the droll shoulder shrug suggested by the word "snafu" (Situation Normal, All Fouled Up). The author is not a complete neophyte to online learning. Back in 1999, she led the start-up team for Fathom, one of the earliest knowledge networks, in partnership with Columbia University and other institutions in the United States and abroad, and she is a board member of the Apollo Group. So being understandably curious about these MOOCs, she decided to check one out herself. In this article, the author describes her experience. One would have to live under a rock not to know that crushing student debt, declining state support, and disruptive technologies have made it imperative to look at new models for teaching. American MOOCs may point the way to retaining the best students and faculty in the world, while adding the lively and collaborative components of technology-enhanced teaching and learning. It is true that nobody yet has a reasonable business plan for these courses, and there is concern over completion rates and whether colleges are "giving away the farm," as a recent MIT alumni-magazine article put it. It is not hard to anticipate the end of free and the start of the next stage: fee-based certificate programs built around MOOCs. But for now, the colleges leading those efforts are making relatively modest--and rare--investments in research and development. Their faculty members are excited about the opportunity to experiment. The author suggests giving this explosion of pent-up innovation in higher education a chance to mature before rushing to the bottom line. It is too soon to declare MOOCs either a silly fad or a silver bullet. But it is not too soon to declare 2012 the year that the public finally understood the potential for adult learning on a global scale. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Feedback (Response); Collaborative Writing; Second Language Learning; Writing (Composition); Groups; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Teaching Methods; Metalinguistics; Discussion

Abstract:
Writing is generally thought of as an activity which is carried out individually, often with feedback then provided by a teacher or colleague. While the use of pair or small group work in the second language classroom in relation to oral work has been extensively studied, and its benefits well documented, there are only a few studies which have documented the advantages of collaboration in written work, and in dealing with written feedback. Mostly conducted within a sociocultural framework, these studies suggest that collaborative writing provides learners with opportunities to learn through a discussion of the language they are using. In this paper, we explore the findings from the studies which have examined the effect of learners working in pairs or small groups on writing tasks, and the extent to which working predominantly in pairs, and receiving feedback on their writing in pairs, can enhance the language learning opportunities for learners through their ability to scaffold each other's contributions and knowledge. Drawing also on our own work from a large-scale study which examined learner's writing and their responses to feedback, we argue that learners working on writing activities in pairs can enhance learning by providing opportunities for the discussion of language. We conclude with a discussion of possible research directions in relation to further exploring collaborative writing and collaborative processing of feedback which may prove valuable for second language learners. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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