Designing Collaborative Tangible Spaces to Support Seamless Learning
Marcelo Milrad
Center for Learning and Knowledge Technologies (CeLeKT)
Växjö University, Sweden
marcelo.milrad@vxu.se
Due to the advent of the World Wide Web, computer uses in education have led to defining elearning as networked or distributed learning, using such models as online courseware or
collaborative learning projects with groups. Now the integration of one-to-one computer-to-learner
models of technology access with wireless mobile computing has provided important new ways to
integrate indoor and outdoor learning experiences (Rogers & Price, 2006) into what Chan et al.
(2006) have called “seamless learning”, marked by a continuity of learning experiences across
different learning contexts. Seamless learning implies that students can learn whenever they are
curious in a variety of situations and that they can switch from one scenario to another easily and
quickly using their personal mobile device as a mediator. These scenarios include learning
individually, with another student, a small group, or a large online community, with possible
involvement of teachers, relatives, experts and members of other supportive communities, face-toface or in different modes of interaction and at a distance in places such as classroom, outdoors,
parks and museums. In these learning settings, learners are able to examine the physical world by
capturing sensor and geo-positional data and conducting scientific inquiries and analyses in new
ways. K-12 learning and education stand to benefit substantially by new designs for open learning
environments that incorporate such technologies and collaborative activity designs for advancing
knowledge building using learning cycles that move from classroom discussions of science
content, to field-based inquiry, to classroom reflection cycles. We frame our vision as “open
inquiry” — using mobile computing to provide open software tools and resources, to create
participation frameworks for learner project collaboration, mobile media and data capture,
analysis, reflection and publishing.
It is now possible to implement the concept of seamless learning spaces to support open inquiry
learning by augmenting physical spaces with information exchanges as well as using geospatial
mappings between the mobile device and the physical world that facilitate navigation and contextaware applications. According to Pea and Maldonado (2006) these two latest features play an
important role in designing mobile applications that support the inquiry processes and sociallymediated knowledge-building associated with learning science by doing science. Price (2008) also
argues that one of interesting features of tangible environments is the capability of linking physical
artefacts with digital representation. This new and rich type of technological environment provides
an experimental arena for learning in and about complex topics in science. Thus, learning can take
place for instance, through the process of exploring a particular natural phenomenon in its natural
setting by using sensors and software tools for collecting and analyzing data, constructing
semantic relationships and conducting systematic investigations. The design opportunity is that K12 learners can now learn science by participating in science inquiry in the field as well as in
classrooms, allocating computational power and interaction away from the limitations of desktop
computers.
The Challenges
The idea that new technologies will transform learning practices has not yet been fully realized,
especially with regard to technology to support learning and collaboration across contexts. The
task of designing effective computer support along with appropriate pedagogy and social practices
is more complex than imagined (Stahl, 2002). The design of systems and technological tools to
support collaboration and communication in seamless learning environments is a difficult process,
not only because the learners may be separated by time and space, but also because they may be
also not sharing the same learning physical context and representations. Establishing common
ground and mutual understanding; two important ingredients for collaborative learning, becomes a
challenge. One of the major challenges for educational technologists and HCI researchers is to find
useful ways to design, to implement and to evaluate sharable tangible spaces that combine
ubiquitous technologies and innovative pedagogical ideas in a variety of educational settings. The
current focus of our research efforts can be formulated as follows:
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How can we design collaborative tangible spaces to support different social and cognitive
processes involved in open inquiry learning activities?
How can collaborative tangible spaces support multiple representations, especially as
informed by cognitive flexibility theory (Spiro & Jehng, 1990)?
During the last four years we have been conducting research activities that explore new design
approaches and innovative uses of mobile and wireless technologies in a variety of collaborative
educational settings (Kurti et al., 2008). Our approach is not simply to provide novel mobile
computational systems and tools, but rather to explore new and varied educational activities that
become available while applying innovative approaches for designing new technologies to support
seamless learning. In this presentation I will present the results of our work together with my
reflections based on our latest developments and experiences regarding the design of collaborative
tangible spaces and tools to enhanced learning.
References:
Chan, T-W., Milrad, M., and 17 others. (2006). One-to-one technology-enhanced learning: an
opportunity for global research collaboration. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced
Learning Journal, vol. 1, pp. 3-29.
Kurti, A., D. Spikol, & M. Milrad, (2008). Bridging Outdoors and Indoors Educational Activities
in Schools with the Support of Mobile and Positioning Technologies. International Journal of
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Pea, R., & Maldonado, H. (2006). WILD for learning: interacting through new computing devices
anytime, anywhere. In K. Sawyer (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences, pp.
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Price, S. (2008). A representation approach to conceptualizing tangible learning environments. In
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(Bonn, Germany, February 18 - 20, 2008). TEI '08. ACM, New York.
Rogers, Y. and Price, S. (2006). Using Ubiquitous Computing to Extend and Enhance Learning
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Education: Invisible Technology, Visible Impact, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Spiro, R., & Jehng, J. (1990). Cognitive flexibility theory: Theory and technology for the nonlinear
and multidimensional traversal of complex subject matter. In D. Nix & R. Spiro (Eds.),
Cognition, Education, and Multimedia. (pp.163-205). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
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