My OperaComputer Supported Cooperative Work
Monday, April 26, 2010 11:04:24 AM
The matrix considers work contexts along two dimensions: first, whether collaboration is co-located or geographically distributed, and second, whether individuals collaborate synchronously (same time) or asynchronously (not depending on others to be around at the same time). (from Wikipedia - an example of groupware)In my master thesis I set forth to research and study collaborative language learning through the use of the groupware Google Documents - known as Computer Supported Cooperative Work, or groupware. I am primarily interested in studying joint text creation and language learning awareness in English for non-native English speakers. My hypothesis is that student collaboration in generating textual content improves the quality of the work in terms of language as well as the participants' own language learning awareness.
Through the course of the last two years I have been using collaborative tools such as Google Documents, also referred to as Google Docs, in my English and Norwegian lessons, with a particular emphasis on composition and writing. By designing written task for groups with Google Docs as the main writing tool for students I am interested in assessing the degree of language learning in English when students work collaboratively. Google Docs enables users to work simultaneously in the same document and generate content together in real time, and thus also for the teacher to make annotations, footnotes and see the development of the text by using the revision history function. In this study I will focus on student interaction, psychological ownership, collaborative culture and language learning.
Working "in the cloud" allows several people to collaborate on groupwork digitally.
Google Docs has a "Share"-function which enables the owner to invite other people, get the link to share, email as attachment or publish directly as web page or get the embed code to embed it in an external site such as a blog. All of these features requires digital skills and invites the user to collaborate and interact with other users. In my hypothesis I am interested in the distinction between what Bereiter and Scardamalia call knowledge telling and knowledge transforming (Weigle 2002: 31) when I study collaborative online text creation in Google Docs. As Weigle writes herself; writing focused on knowledge transforming is a process which "frequently leads to new knowledge and may change a writer's view of what he or she is trying to communicate" (Weigle 2002: 33), or in this case, what the group is trying to communicate.
In my master thesis I will research the learning outcome of collaborative writing in such environments. Researchers of CSCW have created a Time/Space continuum in order to explain the differences between the various work forms in the context of the two variables:
The CSCW Continuum:
Same time/same place
Face to face interaction
Roomware
Shared tables, wall displays
Digital whiteboards
Group decision support systems (GDSS)[
Single display groupware
Same time/different place
Remote interaction
Videoconferencing
Real-time groupware
Messaging (instant messaging, email, chat)
Different time/same place
Continuous task
Team rooms,
Large displays
Post-it
Different time/different place
Communication + Coordination
Wiki
Blogs
Workflow
Version control
(from Baecker)
What is your experience of group work in the various context?
Do you think there is a correlation between them in terms of learning quality?
(100%)
Harald M. Iversen og Hildegunn Otnesotnesiversen # Thursday, May 6, 2010 9:23:03 PM
Vil du bruke denne matrisen som et utgangspunkt i din masteroppgave?
Hildegunn
Morten OddvikMorteno # Thursday, May 6, 2010 9:47:10 PM
Google Dokumenter vil jeg nok plassere i kategorien 'Same time/different place' som 'Real-time groupware' - og jeg gjennomførte en ganske så vellykket pilot forrige uke med det Thaagard kaller 'convenient sample' ettersom det var høyst motiverte elever som deltok. Jeg forhører meg litt rundt i kommunen om andre lærere kunne tenke seg å forsøke med samskriving i sanntid slik at jeg kunne forske andre steder enn i mitt eget miljø. Ikke for det, jeg tror jeg vil oppdage mange ulike gruppeprosesser med mine elever også hvor enkelte overhode ikke er motivet. Det handler jo i bunn og grunn i å finne innganger til elevenes engasjement og dermed skape læring.