Applied Informal Problem-Solving through Self-Discovery Online

People often refer to the World Wide Web (WWW) and the Internet to conduct ad hoc and informal problem-solving. Their success in their endeavors has depended on a wide range of information access and crowd-sourcing; deeper analysis of problems; and growing self-efficacy through acclimating into certain problem-solving groups (with attendant new identities) and the “takeaway” learning by abstracting the problem-solving process. This chapter suggests that a greater awareness of site and online resource designers about the steps of problem-solving may enhance the building of self-discovery learning affordances for every phase of the informal problem-solving process.

The Meeting Point of Second Life and Web 2.0

Researchers and practitioners endeavoring to incorporate Second Life® (SL) and Web 2.0 into language classrooms promise greater practical value from computer-assisted language learning (CALL). This chapter provides an innovative approach to blog writing, exploring SL as an immersive experience that stimulates follow-up description, imagination, and writing creativity. Drawing on experiences in 2009 and 2010 in linking SL and Web 2.0 applications to inspire the writing of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) graduate students, this chapter describes the characteristics of descriptive writing and presents the process of learning and writing of these students in cooperation with their peers in order to discover within themselves the motivation to be creative writers.

Web-Based 3D Virtual Learning Environments

This chapter is an overview of web-deliverable three-dimensional (3D) virtual learning environments. In Section 1 (Introduction) we define Virtual Reality (VR) Technology and Virtual Learning Environments; in Section 2 (Virtual Environments and Learning) we discuss literature findings on the benefits of using web-based VEs for self-discovery learning. In Section 3 (Developing online VE: technologies, challenges and solutions) we give an overview of the latest technologies/platforms used to develop online VEs, discuss development and delivery challenges posed by complex, information-rich web-based 3D environments, and describe possible solutions that can be adopted to overcome current limitations. In Section 4 (A review of two projects) we present two 3D web virtual learning environments that were recently developed by the authors: the Interactive 3D Tour of MSHHD and The pilot postgraduate medical education program in Second Life. A summary and conclusive remarks are included in section 5 (Summary and Conclusion).

NASATalk as a Discovery Learning Space

The NASATalk online collaborative (www.nasatalk.com) gives educators a virtual place to talk about the many opportunities available from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASATalk participants include K-16 educators, NASA-affiliated educators’ support staff, and others interested in advancing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. This chapter examines the self-discovery learning opportunities afforded by NASATalk for a three-day professional development workshop from the perspectives of the NASATalk team members, two NASA Aerospace Education Services Project specialists, and the workshop participants. For the conference, NASATalk hosted a public collaborative named the NASA STEM Educators Workshop as well as several blogs. The analysis discusses how various needs are met for orientation and entry, learner decision making, individuated learning, intercommunications and collaboration, and original discovery in the NASATalk content collaborative. A professional virtual community emerges where educators gathered onsite to receive instruction, but they turned to NASATalk to share their ideas and experiences by posting articles, blogs, comments, multimedia, links, and other educational resources.

Engaging Learners in the Digital Age through Self-Discovery Learning

The development of social networking, Web 2.0, and virtual worlds has opened new avenues for online collaborative communication. For learners in this digital age, there is a need to devise new models and metaphors to examine the learner and teacher interactions with technologies and for models which can help in designing effective and innovative learning interventions. In this chapter we examine some models and discuss how learners can be guided to become engaged in self-discovery learning.

The LiveAbility House

This chapter follows efforts of an online community of practice whose mission is to make individual educational experiences for family caregivers widely available. The case study illustrates the collaborative learning and creative processes of the community of practice as it worked to construct and transform informal educational content into engaging, interactive, and immersive educational tools for its intended audience. As part of its efforts, the CoP created The LiveAbility House, a virtual demonstration home, constructed in Second Life®. This virtual home is designed to teach individuals about real life universal design principles and assistive technology devices that may increase their ability to remain living at home despite physical or cognitive challenges they may encounter due to aging, illness, or disability. In addition to the creation of a virtual learning experience, the chapter also addresses plans to then take that experience out of the virtual world and apply and demonstrate learning principles in a real world setting.

Knowledge Spaces for Online Discovery Learning

Constructivist learning environments have been enhanced with emerging digital infrastructures, particularly those based on Internet and Web 2.0 technologies. In this chapter, the impact of these technologies on a constructivist-rooted pedagogy known as discovery learning is discussed in detail. Specifically, the use of knowledge spaces for online discovery learning is explored within the context of case-based learning, incidental learning, learning by exploring/conversing, learning by reflection, and simulation-based learning. This chapter first provides a theoretical rationale for enhancing these approaches and then describes several low cost and free tools that can be used in each of the five areas. Technology implementation and practitioner-oriented examples are provided for each with a particular emphasis on Web 2.0 applications in higher education venues.

Design Guidelines for Self-Assessment Support for Adult Academic Distance Learning

This contribution focuses on adult distance learning. Based on experiences at the Open University of the Netherlands we investigate specific problems that our students have with self-assessment and metacognition while studying. Starting from a literature review and complementing this with available student data from our teaching research center, we developed a conceptual framework that was iteratively adjusted and assessed by a questionnaire study and interviews. This allowed us to develop design guidelines for self-assessment support in distance learning environments. These guidelines were reviewed by experts. The input from the experts was used to modify the guidelines and iterate until they were considered complete. Tangible designs (i.e., mock-ups) for each of the self-assessment methods were proposed. These tangible designs were prototyped for later evaluation. Finally, we provide our conclusions and propose recommendations for actual application and systematic design.

A Case Study on Using Discovery Learning within a Learning Management System

To better illustrate how an online learning environment can be used as scaffolding for the purposes of Discovery Learning, the learning management system (LMS) known as Axio Learning was reviewed and evaluated. Axio Learning, developed from the ground up by Kansas State University (student population of about 25,000) since 1997, is a modern, full-featured learning/course management system.

Who are Self-Discovery Learners…Online?

Self-discovery learning may be understood in multiple ways—as a state of expertise and learning maturity; as an attitude and approach to self-directed learning; as a perceptive and learning stance to the world; as a minor everyday skill for informal information-seeking, and even as an inherent part of the self-discovery learner. It is this last conceptualization that is addressed in this chapter, which explores who self-discovery learners are and what their learning needs may be. Self-discovery learning may be a human character trait. Further, this chapter explores who self-discovery learners are online and how they behave in those spaces. Given the sparseness of the research data, this work proposes questions of how future researchers may further define self-discovery learners online. Finally, this work offers some suggestions for how those online spaces may be evolved to more closely meet the needs of self-discovery learners.