Higher education needs to bring students into the practice of cloud based online collaboration such as they will encounter after graduation. A useful introduction starts with data collecting and pooling with Google Forms followed by real... more
Higher education needs to bring students into the practice of cloud based online collaboration such as they will encounter after graduation. A useful introduction starts with data collecting and pooling with Google Forms followed by real time graphing and computations, easily accomplished in the Excel-like Google Sheets. We find students and in-service teachers are very positive about their experience. Here we review the limited literature and describe how instructors can get their students into cloud based online collaboration using spreadsheets and other powerful collaborative options available via Google Drive.
The present paper describes an undergraduate class called "Collaborative and Integrated Design". The subject has just been introduced in the Architecture and Urban Design course at the State University of Campinas, as the last... more
The present paper describes an undergraduate class called "Collaborative and Integrated Design". The subject has just been introduced in the Architecture and Urban Design course at the State University of Campinas, as the last in a series of 10 studios, just before the final design project, which is developed individually in the 11th and 12th semesters. The objective of the
The present paper describes an undergraduate class called "Collaborative and Integrated Design". The subject has just been introduced in the Architecture and Urban Design course at the State University of Campinas, as the last... more
The present paper describes an undergraduate class called "Collaborative and Integrated Design". The subject has just been introduced in the Architecture and Urban Design course at the State University of Campinas, as the last in a series of 10 studios, just before the final design project, which is developed individually in the 11th and 12th semesters. The objective of the
Based on our practical experience with leading Holis learning programs since 2014 and, the interviews with participants and facilitators we worked with, we have decided to open up and create an ongoing public online resource, that will... more
Based on our practical experience with leading Holis learning programs since 2014 and, the interviews with participants and facilitators we worked with, we have decided to open up and create an ongoing public online resource, that will help us learn and improve the tools we use by receiving feedback from the community. The publication provides theoretical overview into the topic of hybrid learning and analyzes the state of best practice in this field by providing curated overview of academic learning design resources, massive open online courses (MOOCs), we well as open educational resources, and practical handbooks & toolkits. Second part of the publication shares the step-by-step process of Holis experience and learning design, described through the lens of a specific Holis Hybrid '21 learning program. The final part analyzes the feedback of program participants and facilitators & summarizes the key findings and reflections.
Previous literature on democratic quality of political actors website and on the governance of online communities did not take attention to the role of infrastructure for collective action online. This paper presents an empirical analysis... more
Previous literature on democratic quality of political actors website and on the governance of online communities did not take attention to the role of infrastructure for collective action online. This paper presents an empirical analysis (based on 50 cases of online creation communities) on how infrastructure governance shape the community generated. First, the paper presents a mapping of online creation communities according to their infrastructure governance. The main axes of order in the infrastructure governance are open versus closes to community involvement in the provision organizing. Then, the other significant axes is knowledge policy which in term of infrastructure governance influences the level of freedom and autonomy of the collective action in regards to the infrastructure. According to these two axes five models of infrastructure governance resulted: corporate service, university network, representative foundations, mission oriented enterprises, and assamblearian selfprovision. Second, the research provides an empirical explanation of the governance models which are most likely to succeed in creating large-size collective action in terms of the dimensions of participation and complexity of collaboration. Infrastructure governance based on closeness to community involvement in the platform provision and for profit strategies generates bigger communities. Instead, open to community involvement and nonprofit generates smaller communities, even smaller if they are informal. Conditions which favor community freedom and autonomy generate smaller communities also, but interestingly, they resulted to be the conditions that increase collaboration among the participants.
New teaching and learning approaches are emerging through the use of technology including online global collaboration. Educators involved in global collaboration forge external relationships with others beyond their immediate learning... more
New teaching and learning approaches are emerging through the use of technology including online global collaboration. Educators involved in global collaboration forge external relationships with others beyond their immediate learning environment. They modify and adapt the curriculum to include global learning opportunities for their learners. Global collaboration provides opportunities for rich global, cognitive, social, cultural and life-‐changing experiences to their students. Online global collaboration broadly refers to geographically dispersed educators that use online technologies to learn with others beyond their immediate environment to support curricular objectives, intercultural understandings, critical thinking, personal, social and ICT capabilities. This paper will report some preliminary findings from an investigation into the perceptions of K-‐12 educators who facilitate global collaborative learning. Data were collected through semi-‐structured interviews that were then themed to identify the key affordances and inhibitors to online global collaboration. The paper will provide recommendations for global collaboration in teacher education.
Determining the density of a solid object by measuring mass and volume by water displacement is a classic introductory chemistry experiment. In this activity students performed these measurements on a variety of steel bolts to derive... more
Determining the density of a solid object by measuring mass and volume by water displacement is a classic introductory chemistry experiment. In this activity students performed these measurements on a variety of steel bolts to derive density graphically using a collaborative cloud-based application (Google Drive) that has student groups contributing data into a spreadsheet using an online form. The spreadsheet is projected in the laboratory as data is entered; and real-time graphing of the data (mass versus volume) is presented along with computations of the slope (density), y-intercept, and r-squared. Student groups calculate the same information from their individual groups by hand-drawn graphs and using a pre-built spreadsheet. They then compare their data to the larger class set plus standard values. As a post-laboratory assignment, each group of students must prepare a collaborative laboratory report using a pre-designed template addressing further analysis and questions in which each group member contributes.
Collaborative pedagogies are partially popularized in online learning environments because text based online discussion technologies are often available as a software package that requires very little bandwidth and are relatively cheap... more
Collaborative pedagogies are partially popularized in online learning environments because text based online discussion technologies are often available as a software package that requires very little bandwidth and are relatively cheap and easy for students to access technically. ...
Alternative Delivery Modules or Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) is a self-contained, self instructional, self-paced, and interactive learning resources for public schools intended for learning a specific topic or lesson where the learner... more
Alternative Delivery Modules or Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) is a self-contained, self instructional, self-paced, and interactive learning resources for public schools intended for learning a specific topic or lesson where the learner interacts actively with the instructional material rather than reading the material passively. Hence, collaborative learning as a strategy was imposed. The study aimed to determine the impact of collaboration through online learning assistance and buddy stations on the students' level of interest in a self-learning environment. It attempted to correlate COLABS related factors to the students' level of participation and written and performance task scores. Furthermore, the study employed a descriptive experimental researcher design wherein it involved the 45 Humanities and Social Sciences students of Talisay Senior High School who are taking Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century. The data obtained from the survey and scores from pre test and post-test were presented, tabulated, interpreted, and correlated using mean, weighted mean, and Pearson correlation. Results revealed that the there was a significant relationship between the pre-test and post-test scores of the respondents in both written task and performance task. However, data also inferred that there was no significant relationship between online collaboration and the students' level of interest in a self-learning environment.
In this article Annie Abrahams gives a short personal, yet critical overview of her always collaborative and often participatory artistic practice. Based on her experiences she tries to formulate some general preconditions for it to be... more
In this article Annie Abrahams gives a short personal, yet critical overview of her always collaborative and often participatory artistic practice. Based on her experiences she tries to formulate some general preconditions for it to be successful. She finds that an awareness of hardware and software influences, clear and open protocols, familiarisation with the technology, an active role and a hospitable environment for the participants are obligatory to allow them to enjoy an aesthetics of attention and trust, where their choices and behavior count.
ABSTRACT: Whether mathematical problem solving is done face-to-face or through computer-mediated communication, as long as there are multiple participants with their respective approaches, procedures and assessment methods, there is a... more
ABSTRACT: Whether mathematical problem solving is done face-to-face or through computer-mediated communication, as long as there are multiple participants with their respective approaches, procedures and assessment methods, there is a need for participants to resolve their differences, whether through negotiation, argumentation or some other interactional activity to initiate, maintain and conclude their collaborative problem-solving activity. When this collaborative problem solving is conducted in the quasi- ...
In this paper we analyze decision-making through asynchronous computer mediated discussion. The theoretical framework of our study understands discussion as communication in which the students contribute to the construction of a common... more
In this paper we analyze decision-making through asynchronous computer mediated discussion. The theoretical framework of our study understands discussion as communication in which the students contribute to the construction of a common opinion by taking positions. Position taking is described by applying Positioning Theory. In this study students were engaged in a small group discussion in an online environment in which they were required to debate on their proposals and take a vote at the end. We provide quantitative and qualitative analyses of their discussion and those issues that describe the winning proposals. The analyses show that the quality of the original proposal is indeed closely related to winning. However, our results indicate that students can influence the success of the decision process by taking an active part in the discussion. The positions the students take in the decision-making discussions seem to be first order self positions deliberately assumed by the discu...
Designing a group study enables students to develop critical thinking, effective team work; appreciation and respect for other views, techniques and problem-solving methods by promoting active learning environment. The purpose of this... more
Designing a group study enables students to develop critical thinking, effective team work; appreciation and respect for other views, techniques and problem-solving methods by promoting active learning environment. The purpose of this quantitative study examined the effects of online collaboration on the pre-service teachers’ mathematical problem solving attitude. Specifically, the study examined the effects of group working to the mathematical word problem solving tasks alone. Forty-two pre-service teachers enrolled in the study which were divided into three groups: Synchronous online (n=12), face-to-face (n=15) and individual (n=15). Students in each group were required to solve four ill-structured problems under problem solving sessions over a six-week period. It is used a quantitative analysis of data. To measure the change in problem solving attitude, a pre and post-test problem solving attitude questionnaire administered to measure attitude change. The results indicate that, whether synchronous online or face-to-face group based problem solving processes resulted with more positive attitude than individual study. It is also revealed that students' problem solving attitudes were increased in all groups, however, F2F group students' showed positive higher difference than those SO and IND students.
The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) environment has recently integrated a wiki component into its text chat and shared whiteboard system. The wiki component serves a number of purposes, such as summarizing synchronous small-group interactions... more
The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) environment has recently integrated a wiki component into its text chat and shared whiteboard system. The wiki component serves a number of purposes, such as summarizing synchronous small-group interactions and sharing the results among groups in an asynchronous knowledge-building community. The VMT project is part of an effort to investigate group cognition--the accomplishment of problem-solving and knowledge-building tasks by small groups, particularly in online, distributed contexts. This paper is an experience report on the use of the VMT system with middle-school, high-school and junior college math students, with masters-level information science students and with research teams. It synthesizes findings from the analysis in many published case studies of VMT system usage and describes recent extensions to the system, integrating a social-networking portal, a knowledge-building wiki, a group-cognition chat room and a shared whiteboard with history, ...
In 2014, music creation in the cloud is defined by access to sophisticated production tools aided by a number of social networking options. This enables interaction between global communities of musicians across transcultural and... more
In 2014, music creation in the cloud is defined by access to sophisticated production tools aided by a number of social networking options. This enables interaction between global communities of musicians across transcultural and transnational spaces. Examining practices within contemporary music production enables a new perspective on remixing and studio jamming filtered though the lens of crowdsourcing. There are multiple challenges associated with this mode of work, and while acknowledging them, this paper argues that there are numerous benefits of engaging in crowdsourcing within the context of Internet-based music production. Drawing on my creative practice and work with three online systems (Audiotool, Blend, Ohm Studio), I analyse the various characteristics of production practices in the cloud engaging international collaborators in a transcultural, transnational space. By examining phases of user-instigated collaborative asynchronous project development, this paper traces how shifts away from traditional studio settings have redefined notions of remixing and jamming, and how new technologies have impacted on interaction between users of remote music collaboration software. In doing so, it makes broader points about how social networking combined with cloud-based music production technologies can lead to new and alternative approaches to music production in international contexts.
Worker and workplace empowerment have been enduring topics in psychological research. Recently, due to the advancements in technology and communication, new forms and types of work and organizing have emerged and challenged the... more
Worker and workplace empowerment have been enduring topics in psychological research. Recently, due to the advancements in technology and communication, new forms and types of work and organizing have emerged and challenged the traditional understandings of power and empowerment. Open source software (OSS) communities are one example of such new types of organization and collaboration. OSS communities have been celebrated as democratic, participatory and egalitarian settings where people voluntarily, freely and collaboratively develop software to serve their needs as well as the needs of others. In this paper we show that OSS communities indeed nurture empowerment in several senses. However, we also show that OSS communities pose several challenges to empowerment. As an example, we analyze numerous usability interventions in OSS development, in which usability practitioners have offered their expertise to OSS projects. We show that the usability practitioners have been empowered in certain cases and senses, but that they have also encountered numerous challenges as regards their empowerment. Moreover, we argue that critical theories on empowerment provide additional, valuable insights on empowerment in OSS development as well as elsewhere. We propose a comprehensive framework on empowerment, suitable for studies on empowerment in OSS communities as well as in other online communities and forms of distributed or online collaboration.
In 2014, music creation in the cloud is defined by access to sophisticated production tools aided by a number of social networking options. This enables interaction between global communities of musicians across transcultural and... more
In 2014, music creation in the cloud is defined by access to sophisticated production tools aided by a number of social networking options. This enables interaction between global communities of musicians across transcultural and transnational spaces. Examining practices within contemporary music production enables a new perspective on remixing and studio jamming filtered though the lens of crowdsourcing. There are multiple challenges associated with this mode of work, and while acknowledging them, this paper argues that there are numerous benefits of engaging in crowdsourcing within the context of Internet-based music production. Drawing on my creative practice and work with three online systems (Audiotool, Blend, Ohm Studio), I analyse the various characteristics of production practices in the cloud engaging international collaborators in a transcultural, transnational space. By examining phases of user-instigated collaborative asynchronous project development, this paper traces how shifts away from traditional studio settings have redefined notions of remixing and jamming, and how new technologies have impacted on interaction between users of remote music collaboration software. In doing so, it makes broader points about how social networking combined with cloud-based music production technologies can lead to new and alternative approaches to music production in international contexts.
The use of peer feedback is a strategy for online educators to facilitate collaboration among students and increase critical reflection. Through the well-designed use of peer feedback, students can, with help from other students, master... more
The use of peer feedback is a strategy for online educators to facilitate collaboration among students and increase critical reflection. Through the well-designed use of peer feedback, students can, with help from other students, master concepts and ideas that they cannot understand on their own (Lu & Bol, 2007; Vygotsky, 1978). The process of giving and receiving peer feedback closely resembles professional practice (van den Berg, Admiraal, & Pilot, 2006; van der Pol, van den Berg, Admiraal, & Simons, 2008) and helps students develop life-long skills. This case study describes the use of peer feedback in an online graduate practicum course to support students and increase their exposure to different educational environments. It includes suggestions for effectively using peer feedback in online courses.
The integration of technology in higher education has been swiftly changing since 2000. This study, which focused on issues related to technology integration in higher education, included 24 interviews done in 15 universities. The inter-... more
The integration of technology in higher education has been swiftly changing since 2000. This study, which focused on issues related to technology integration in higher education, included 24 interviews done in 15 universities. The inter- views documented an accelerated pace of change as well a wide range of innova- tions. Relying on the idea that technologies used in hybrid and online learning require specific functionalities for effective collaboration, the study explored the features required from these technologies to enable more flexible online learning environments. According to study results, the primary reasons why universities chose to integrate technologies were not specifically for educational purposes. Consequently, the technologies used are not necessarily interactive or instruc- tional. Even though many changes have taken place, such as retooled legacy LMSs or MOOC platforms, more up-to-date and educational technology features are still required for collaborative and interactive online education environments.
As engineering, science, and industry in general become increasingly global, online collaboration has become a normal part of the professional's workday. It has, however, not been integrated into the US educational system. In this paper... more
As engineering, science, and industry in general become increasingly global, online collaboration has become a normal part of the professional's workday. It has, however, not been integrated into the US educational system. In this paper we show how Google Sheets, a part of Google Drive can be used to familiarize students in beginning courses with the practice of online collaboration and enhance their computational spreadsheet skills.
