Class Project: Development of a "STRONG" prototype:Assignment 1: Overview of LearningFischer, G. (1998) "Making Learning a Part of Life-Beyond the 'Gift-Wrapping' Approach of Technology." Notes from 6/96 NSF Symposium on Learning and Intelligent Systems, available at: http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/presentations/gf-wlf/ 1. What did you find interesting about the article? • The author articulating the importance of “lifelong learning” by extending the scope of a fundamental human question “what is learning?” • Pointing out limitations of existing theories and paradigms of teaching and learning with a call to transcend “gift-wrapping” approaches that use technology • The role of distributed cognition in drawing and recognizing the contribution of users • Presenting system breakdowns as “opportunities” instead of “failures.” Assignment 2: Overview of Collaboration“In Defense of Cheating” by Don Norman; accessible via: http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/InDefenseOfCheating.html and comment on the following issue: 1.1 Do you agree or disagree with Norman’s position? Why? I had mixed feelings after reading Norman’s article because I could both agree and disagree with him. I couldn’t disagree with his views that our educational system should foster greater understanding, knowing how to find solutions to problems, and greater cooperation. I liked his idea that performance should be accurate characterizations of students’ accomplishments instead of a sterile GPA. Besides, I agree with his concluding remarks that restructuring educational systems requires “many more changes” and developing students’ “curiosity, self-reliance, cooperative skills,” social skills, and self-directed learning. However, I found some of his views (in my opinion): • out of touch with reality and exaggerated at times (grading systems are often zero-sum games) • subtly advocating scientism (focused on teaching and training instead of learning, implying we know all there is to be known about say, the impact of perceptions, attitudes and/or motivation on student leaning) • embracing a very simplistic approach to address the problem of student cheating (changing the practice of “inappropriate curricula and examinations” should reduce cheating!) 1.2 How does his view relate to your own experience in your school, university, and working life (in case you have worked somewhere sometimes)? Although I actively strive to promote the development of student understanding, cooperation, and social skills in my classroom using various collaborative, team-based, hands-on activities, it is challenging for the following reasons. Some shortcomings include: • Motivating all students • Sustaining student engagement • Finding the time to participate and contribute effectively during individual teams’ discussions and building activities (typically have 6 – 7 teams in all my classes) • Resolving group dynamics • Promoting greater social collaboration • Having students put in sufficient thought into their designs • Increasing cognitive skills of resource-deprived students • Coping with “Been There, Done That” attitude of some students • Developing (constantly) genuinely interesting challenges/activities 2. Visit one of the following websites and explore it as a medium for collaboration http://www.experts-exchange.com/ http://www.mamamedia.com 2.1 Briefly discuss for your chosen website: What did you find interesting about it? I selected http://www.mamamedia.com What I found interesting about it was: • It was started by Idit Harel, a Papert’s advisee at MIT’s Media Lab, in 1997 for kids below 12. It reminded me of a similar web site for kids www.neopets.com, for web surfing, playing games, and solving puzzles, that I found my 9-year old niece and sister-in-law easily drawn into • It had over 4.5 million members from 30 countries • It had a user friendly site map • It facilitated learning by engagement, doing, and discovery through gaming and activities • Among the kids who voted on the number one reason why they surfed the web (accessed on January 23, 2005) 58% voted checking out fun and whacky websites, 16% voted making new friends who have the same interest as they do, 14% voted learning cool info on all kinds of exciting topics, 7% voted finding sites to help them with their homework, and a mere 5% voted learning about new technology and becoming an expert Assignment 3: Envisionment and Discovery Collaboratory (EDC)Arias, E. G., Eden, H., Fischer, G., Gorman, A., & Scharff, E. (2000) "Transcending the Individual Human Mind—Creating Shared Understanding through Collaborative Design," ACM Transactions on Computer Human-Interaction, 7(1), pp. 84-113. available at http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/~gerhard/papers/tochi2000.pdf 1. What did you find interesting about the article? What I found interesting about the article was a clear articulation of the need to transcend the limits of bounded rationality, an idea proposed by Simon – a Renaissance man himself and pioneer of the HCI movement. Also, empowering stakeholders throughout the design process; recording the design process and design rationale; and integrating assessment throughout the design and practice stages were noteworthy. To cope with the shortcomings elaborated on in response to Q 1.2 in Assignment 2 above, I have been trying to conceptualize an innovative methods of teaching and learning science and engineering through inquiry (illustrated as a “STRONG” model in the figure below), combining both computational and physical environments, to foster greater intentionality during learning. STRONG Model Assignment 4: Cognitive Levers (CLever)Carmien, S., Dawe, M., Fischer, G., Gorman, A., Kintsch, A., & Sullivan, J. F. (2004) "Socio-Technical Environments Supporting People with Cognitive Disabilities Using Public Transportation," Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction (ToCHI), p. (in press). http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/~gerhard/papers/tochi-social-issues-final.pdf 1. What did you find interesting about the article? The idea that designing systems that support 5-7% of the population who have the greatest difficulties can also empower mainstream users. To address the safety concerns of caregivers, the researchers exploration of human errors and breakdowns using Lifeline to detect such errors was fascinating. It reminded me about the importance of “estimation skills,” that we would like all learners to have during problem-solving. Accessibility and usability are critical issues, not just for people with disabilities but also, for people in the mainstream. The dilemma in science education – hands-on inquiry learning without domain knowledge resulting in inadequate conceptual understanding versus direct instruction to impart domain knowledge resulting in unenlightened learners, can be better addressed when learners pursue a stop → reflect → think → act algorithm much like Schon’s reflect→choose→act algorithm. This vision guided the articulation of STRONG model I used in responding to Q. 1 in Assignment 3 above. Assignment 5: Bill Joy (Why the future doesn't need us)Bill Joy: “Why the future doesn't need us” available at: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy_pr.html 1. What did you find interesting about the article? Bill Joy's plea that the powerful 21st-century technologies – genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics (GNR), if developed and used unchecked, could be catastrophic. The narrative about his personal development from childhood too was interesting – driven by a need to ask questions and find answers. Scientists and politicians need to take personal responsibility for all their actions and have a greater transparency while allowing commercial technologies - particularly genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics to proliferate. Assignment 6: Herb Simon and the Mutilated Matrix ProblemRead chapter 8 in Herbert Simon’s (1996) The Sciences of the Artificial “The Architecture of Complexity: Hierarchic Systems” 1. Name the two most important things/concepts which you learned and give a one paragraph explanation why you consider these concepts important. The two most important concepts that I had reinforced and learned were: • Human problem solving is fundamentally a selective trial and error process, and • Adaptive organisms, like humans, act purposefully on their environments to find correlations that bridge blueprints (world as sensed – existing state of affairs) with recipes (world as acted – desired state of affairs). The reason why I consider these important is because they provide a sound rationale for using a systemic approach to problem solving. I always believed that cues and/or guesstimated solutions were critical to facilitate learning. Simon underscores its importance by using the notion of selectivity, which is activated through feedback and prior knowledge. He cites Plato’s Meno to support the idea that all kinds of inquiry and learning take place through mere remembering or recollection. 2. Are these concepts relevant to your work, to your interest, …. – if yes, why? These concepts are relevant to my work because I believe in teaching my students core concepts and skills that they might find use in their lives. To achieve this, I typically present challenging problem solving activities in the classroom to motivate and kindle their systemic thinking abilities. For instance, they might work in teams to design boats that can travel the greatest distance in 30 seconds, carrying a 23 g load. Each team (of two) is provided with just 10 cm of aluminum foil, 1 plastic straw, 30 cm of masking tape, and 25 minutes to prepare for the challenge. To assess their different levels of understanding and performance in problem-solving, I use Kurt Lewin’s recommendations and present learning goals as a movement from the present level to a desired level along a directed line continuum (illustrated below with Simon’s views incorporated). Goal Setting and Problem Solving Process Adapted from Balasubramanian, N. (2005). Improving student achievement through scaffolded science and technology instruction. Manuscript submitted for publication. To evaluate the learning activity and student achievement, I perform a rudimentary Lewinian force field analysis on learning goals with my students – and make them list various forces that helped or hindered their learning (for a sample of student responses, see RC Soccer Tournament Post-Activity Learning Summary) Assignment 8: HCI, HPDC, HFAs (Buxton's Less is More Article)Read Buxton, W. (2001) "Less is More (More or Less)." In P. J. Denning (Ed.), The Invisible Future — the seamless integration of technology in everyday life, McGraw-Hill, New York, pp. 145-179. available at: http://billbuxton.com/LessIsMore.html 1. What did you find interesting about the article? • Buxton’s argument that our social and behavioral, not technological, issues are the ones that are slowing down the progress of human kind • Using the 6Ws (Who, What, Where, When, Why, & hoW) to articulate the importance of ability, usability, and intentionality in a human-centric world • The truism of Kahn’s quote that thoughts differ from one room to another Assignment 9: Meta-Design: (A Manifesto for End-User Development)Read Fischer, G., Giaccardi, E., Ye, Y., Sutcliffe, A. G., & Mehandjiev, N. (2004) "Meta-Design: A Manifesto for End-User Development," Communications of the ACM, 47(9), pp. 33-37, available at http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/~gerhard/papers/CACM-meta-design.pdf 1. What did you find interesting about the article? That tools need to motivate their users by showing them a range of possibilities that are achievable using the tool – through examples and demonstrations. Assignment 10: Learning: From Speculation to ScienceBransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2001). Learning: From Speculation to Science. In How People Learn — Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press. 1. What did you find interesting about the article? I liked the optimism and vision of the two committees, Committee on Developments in the Science of Learning and Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice, in anticipating their synthesis of over two centuries of research on the human mind to spur “new approaches” that might make it possible for most learners to develop deeper understanding of mathematics, science, history, and literature. During my reading, I marked over 10 places where interactive learning environments like STRONG might indeed be one of these "new approaches." Current societal needs, demand educational systems that move beyond teaching of the "basics" (3Rs) to help individuals: • think and read critically • communicate clearly and persuasively • collaborate and solve complex problems And, research on expertise demonstrate four critical characteristics: • rich body of knowledge about subject matter is important for problem solving • knowledge is organized around important concepts • understanding is built on prior knowledge and beliefs • metacognition – reflecting about one’s own learning is an important ingredient for active learning Assignment 11: Interactive ArtRead Deck, Andy C. (1999) “In Search of Meaningful Events: Curatorial Algorithms and Malleable Aesthetics.” In D. Bearman & J. Trant (Eds.), Museums and the Web 1999, Archives & Museum Informatics, Pittsburgh, PA, available at: http://artcontext.org/crit/essays/cur_al/ 1. What did you find interesting about the article? Deck’s idea of moving beyond consumption and inspiring participation to orchestrate lasting contributions using Internet Art was interesting. The main message of the article is software and tool designers need to think of creative ways to facilitate, not constraint, active and meaningful contributions by users. Assignment 12: Beyond "Couch Potatoes"Read Fischer, G. (2002) Beyond 'Couch Potatoes': From Consumers to Designers and Active Contributors, in FirstMonday (Peer-Reviewed Journal on the Internet), at: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue7_12/fischer/ 1. What do you consider the main argument of the article? Everyone concurred that the main argument of the article was that new computational media must enable and empower people to become designers and active producers rather than passive consumers, as the title suggests. Assignment 13: Community of LearnersRogoff, B., Matsuov, E., & White, C. (1998) "Models of Teaching and Learning: Participation in a Community of Learners." In D. R. Olsen & N. Torrance (Eds.), The Handbook of Education and Human Development — New Models of Learning, Teaching and Schooling, Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 388-414 1. What did you find interesting about the article? What was interesting was the authors’ clear articulation of a need and value in moving beyond the lopsided adult-run (predominant) or child-run (reactionary) paradigms of teaching and learning because they merely reinforced the notions of transmission or acquisition, respectively. Although working with a community of learners paradigm might sometimes be frustrating when procedures and decisions are revisited, the benefits include: · active participation by all participants · meaningful contributions from all · shared responsibility for learning together through structured inquiry · reflective practice · respecting varied roles · building on one another’s ideas · increased commitment · numerous opportunities to observe, discuss, and participate · viewing learning as an ongoing process Developing learners’ readiness in creative ways (like STRONG, may be?) before engaging learners with hands-on activities for purposeful learning and seeing the benefits outlined in 2.1 above in the community of learners paradigm offers immense possibilities. Assignment 14: User ModelingFischer, G. (2001) "User Modeling in Human-Computer Interaction," User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction (UMUAI), Kluwer Academic Publishers, 11(2), pp. 65-86. http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/~gerhard/papers/umuai2000.pdf 1. What did you find interesting about the article? I liked the author’s abstract; the distinctions and tradeoffs between usable (original HCI designs) and useful (current HFA designs); the WEST coaching systems’ explorations on shared context, initiative and intrusiveness, and relevance; and the compare and contrast matrix with adaptive and adaptable approaches in user modeling. Assignment 16: Distributed CognitionHollan, J., Hutchins, E., & Kirsch, D. (2001) "Distributed Cognition: Toward a New Foundation for Human-Computer Interaction Research." In J. M. Carroll (Ed.) Human-Computer Interaction in the New Millennium, ACM Press, New York, pp. 75-94. (distributed on paper) Briefly discuss the following issues: 1.1 What did you find interesting about the article? I liked the authors’ descriptions of distributed cognition as • complex human-environmental resource interactions and not just social interactions; • well-designed work materials that empower humans in their thinking, seeing, and control of their environments; and • environments that become a reservoir for learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. In my view, the key concept after reading this article is that stand-alone simulations, although act as popular interactive learning environments, cannot promote learning without well designed wraparounds. These wraparounds reinforce the critical components of distributed cognition that stand-alone simulations overlook.
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