scholarly journals Technology as an influential variable in the development of dialogical learning

Educar ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Davinia Palomares-Montero ◽  
M.ª José Chisvert-Tarazona ◽  
Cristóbal Del Campo Ponz

Schools have a responsibility to prepare new generations born in a globalized and interconnected world. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the role that technology plays in the development of dialogical learning in learning communities. We try to understand the influence that technology has in fostering communication and interaction in an educational project that presents interaction and words as basic learning tools. An instrumental, interpretive, and embedded case study is applied in which the communicative methodology is developed from interviews and two discussion groups. The singular case involves a rural school constituted as a learning community that is geographically split into two villages; each village has its own lecture room, one with technology immersion (A) and another with progressive incorporation of technology (B). The results show the influence of the technological factor in learning development that facilitates the creation of meaning; a pedagogical principle that learning communities develop to promote dialogical learning.

Author(s):  
Bernadette Kelley ◽  
Lisa McClelland

This chapter presents a case study involving the fictional Coastal University’s move to the next level of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) student achievement by applying a holistic approach to educating the STEM student using a learning community. Learning communities are designed to improve retention rates, increase student learning and achievement, increase faculty engagement, and lessen the feelings of isolation some students feel on large campuses. This case discusses the various components that were utilized to enhance the learning community including cluster courses, seminars, branch activities, academic progress assessments, and meetings. The challenges with the implementation of the learning community and the engagement in interdisciplinary activities will be discussed as will recommendations for the future.


Author(s):  
Donna Morrow ◽  
Richard G. Bagnall

One approach to hybrid learning is to hybridize online learning through recognizing and including external interactivity. This chapter examines that possibility. After reviewing the nature of interactivity and individual learner experience in online learning communities, it presents a recent study of interactivity in online professional development learning by practising teachers. From that study emerges the importance and scope of external interactivity between the learner and his or her local community of colleagues, friends, and family in a learning community beyond the traditional online class. Building on that case study, and indications from the literature that its implications may be generalizable, the chapter suggests ways in which external interactivity can be recognized and included in the online learning environment – as a way of hybridizing on-line learning through its inclusion of learners’ interactive engagements in the external learning communities that they bring to their studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7288
Author(s):  
Susana León-Jiménez ◽  
Beatriz Villarejo-Carballido ◽  
Garazi López de Aguileta ◽  
Lídia Puigvert

Schools play a crucial role in creating supportive and safe environments, and positive feelings are key in fostering such environments. Schools as Learning Communities, based on the dialogic participation of the whole community, are improving social cohesion. However, the underlying processes leading to such transformations remain underexplored. This article suggests that successful educational actions (SEAs) implemented in a school as a learning community, analyzed in this case study, promote positive feelings such as friendship and empathy, contributing to a safe and supportive environment. The purpose of this study was to analyze how SEAs generate friendship and empathy and their impact in the environment in a school as a learning community in Spain. To that end, the methods used were interviews with 18 students and 10 teachers, and reviews of two documentary films featuring the school. Results suggest that SEAs generate friendship and empathy among many children by promoting mutual support and sharing narratives in such dialogic settings. In addition, developing friendship and empathy contributes to reducing violent behaviors and promoting more inclusive attitudes among many students. This study concludes by providing insights on how SEAs can contribute to safe and supportive environments through fostering friendship and empathy.


This article reports a case study on a popular informal science learning community via social media in China, named GuoKr (meaning “nutshell” in English). Data were collected through a variety of Chinese social media and social networking sites, web-based community portals, and discussion boards. Content analyses and data mining were conducted to investigate how GuoKr successfully attracted and engaged public in informal learning on scientific topics in particular. The study found three key characteristics that contributed to the success of such learning communities: (a) utilizing a variety of social media to empower participants with just-in-time, accidental learning opportunities; (b) daily tweets related to emerging or ongoing social events or hot topics to provide brief but intriguing knowledge “bites”, which often leads to extended readings and related resources; and (c) the integration of social media and traditional face-to-face local events to engage the public in science-related learning and knowledge sharing. Practical and research implications are discussed with suggestions for future research as related to ubiquitous learning communities for informal science learning.


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-13
Author(s):  
Alison Hicks

This case study explores the implementation of La Cuna, an online mentoring forum in a small, subjectbased professional association, the Seminar for the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM). Designed using the social network software Ning, the forum functioned as an informal learning community for 38 members and was an innovative response to geographical challenges and changing technological skills. Using participation data and a questionnaire to analyze the implementation and development of the hybrid e-mentoring community, this study reveals challenges and benefits that should be considered when managing similar professional development activities. While the forum failed to maintain sustained participation, findings revealed the need to assess professional association member needs regularly and highlighted the importance of continued exploration of online learning tools. Through the description of this project, professional associations and other learning communities will gain insights into the creation and implementation of an online e-mentoring learning community, which will be useful as librarians and groups attempt to meet member professional development needs.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Nicholas Alan Goos

The purpose of this study was to focus on distributing leadership activities of an elementary school through a diverse group of stakeholders in the implementation of a Professional Learning Community (PLC). This investigation was guided by the theory of distributive leadership (Gronn, 2002; Spillane, Halverson and Diamond, 2001) and the impact that this plays on school improvement initiatives. In this multiple case study, the researcher focused on the school improvement initiative known as professional learning communities (Dufour, Dufour, Eaker and Many, 2010; Fullan, 2006; Schmoker, 2004). The study sought to gather insight on the role of distributive leadership contributes to implementation of professional learning community. This multiple case study examined three Midwestern elementary schools identified as having successfully implemented professional learning communities. It explored responses from school principals as well as teachers from each building to gather insight on perceptions of school administrators and staff regarding leadership style. From the data, themes emerged indicating there are key components to successful leadership in implementation of the school improvement initiative. The implications of this inquiry for application in elementary schools directly influence school leader behaviors and actions to create certain elements within the organizational members. These items would include a value of collaboration time, a role in school leadership decisions as well as a narrow focus on discussion around student achievement. The findings in this study demonstrate that successful leaders create a collaborative culture, shares in leadership and decision-making practices and has a narrow focus on student learning. The use of distributive leadership ideals create the opportunities for successful implementation of professional learning communities.


Author(s):  
José Luis Lalueza ◽  
Isabel Crespo ◽  
Marc Bria

Through a case study, we will exemplify how ICT can be used in a collaborative way to constitute the foundations of intercultural projects in local and global communities. First, we present a local learning community based on the Fifth Dimension model where, adopting a collaborative model, each of its activities departed from the traditional teaching-learning form based on transmission. Collaboration mediated by ICT in local computer-supported learning communities, understood to be borderer zones that are not the exclusive property of any one specific cultural group, has the potential to generate genuine neo-cultures in which participants can share meanings and appropriate artefacts. Second, the same approach is adopted to analyse the dialogue established between educational researchers and technologists. Setting out with different goals, both groups engaged in a borderer activity involving the development of educational artefacts that could be accessed via the Internet. Common participation in those activities gave rise to a set of shared beliefs, knowledge, behaviours and customs, i.e. a network of meanings that crystallised into a common microculture.


Author(s):  
Jill Jameson

This chapter describes a case study of collaborative e-learning, in which technological and human adaptability was fostered in a community of practice (CoP). The chapter reflects on the use of the extended metaphor of the camel in the JISC-funded eLIDA CAMEL and JISC infoNet CAMEL projects. Technological and social insights were gained through this use of the camel metaphorical model in a designed community of practice. A series of nomadic journeys held in oases provided by partners enabled honest exchanges amongst a community of ‘CAMEL’ practitioners, improving e-learning practices. The creation of an intentional e-learning community of practice fostered shared understandings about learning technology innovations. The camel metaphor was formative in stimulating understanding about building communal solutions to sustainability, low-cost innovative engagement and improved cooperation with others. The CAMEL metaphorical model has been validated in numerous other UK e-learning applications from which transnational insights for e-learning development can be drawn.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 295-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karley A Riffe

Faculty work now includes market-like behaviors that create research, teaching, and service opportunities. This study employs an embedded case study design to evaluate the extent to which faculty members interact with external organizations to mitigate financial constraints and how those relationships vary by academic discipline. The findings show a similar number of ties among faculty members in high- and low-resource disciplines, reciprocity between faculty members and external organizations, and an expanded conceptualization of faculty work.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document