Peer Conversationsfor E-learning in the Grid

Prof. Marc Eisenstadt & Jiri KomzakKnowledge Media Institute, The Open University, UK

Prof. Stefano CerriUniversite Montpellier II, Montpellier, FR

First ELeGI Conference, Naples, Italy, 13-16th March 2005

presentation © 2005 The Open University

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This talk

• GRID technology

• ‘Conversational framework’

• Scenarios describing our approach

• Conclusion

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The GRID:unlimited (super)computing resources

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Laurillard’s Conversational Framework

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discourse

interaction

StudentTeacher

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discursive

interaction

StudentTeacher

teacher’s theoretical

representation

student’sconceptual

representation

teacher’s experientialenvironment

student’sgoal-directed

activities

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articulation &re-articulation

reflection &adaptation

discursive

interaction

StudentTeacher

reflection &adaptation

action &feedback

teacher’s theoretical

representation

student’sconceptual

representation

teacher’s experientialenvironment

student’sgoal-directed

activities

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articulation &re-articulation

reflection &adaptation

discursive

interaction

Students/agentsTeachers/agents

reflection &adaptation

action &feedback

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Scenario – Part I[Students Writing ‘Web-News’]

1. Tutors find each other and plan!

2. Recruit students

3. Establish signup procedures

4. Install BuddySpace, then students find each other and plan!

group discovery in steps 1 and 4

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Scenario – Part I

BuddyFinder

group discovery

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Scenario – Part II

5. Collaborative knowledge construction- reflection and adaptation among students

6. Small group brainstorms- similar – more focused on the actual assignment

7. Service discovery and trigger services- SW agents like acronym chat-bot, relevant news alerts,…

8. Tutoring/Mentoring interactions- regular online interaction with feedback and explanations

9. Project/assignment submission

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BuddySpace

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March 2005, ELeGI Conf, "Peer Conversations" 18Lyceum: audio chat + slides + whiteboard

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FlashMeeting

Hexagon

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More than Instant Messaging

• ‘Enhanced presence’ is an environment for representing the mental states of all participants, and a vehicle for alerting peer groups at a distance in ways that facilitate many different styles of interaction.

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Conclusions

• Numerous benefits, especially through the deployment and discovery of services such as ‘matchmaking’ and trigger alerts.

• Scenarios are realistic: based on years of experience with hundreds of thousands of distance learning students at The Open University.

Thank you!

presentation © 2004 The Open University

http://kmi.open.ac.uk/projects/buddyspace/