Perspectives on Tools for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a research field which emerged during the past 20 years. The research addressed questions in CSCL including – among others - how groups and individuals learn through peer interaction using specific tools, how small groups interact and develop shared meanings over time, how teachers orchestrate collaborative learning activities in the classroom with the support of technology, how institutions change and create new conditions for teaching and learning, and even how the opportunities for learning change as society adopts new models for education. Following the constructivistic and socio-cultural approaches in learning, numerous CSCL tools have been designed, developed and tested over the years. Although they can be classified in various ways, the distinction between systemic and dialogic types of tools and approaches is adopted in this paper. Following this categorization, four interesting research approaches, each focusing on a different kind of computer mediated tool are presented, designating the diversity of research within the CSCL field.