Innovative socio‐technical environments in support of distributed intelligence and lifelong learning

Abstract

Individual, unaided human abilities are constrained. Media have helped us to transcend boundaries in thinking, working, learning and collaborating by supporting distributed intelligence. Wireless and mobile technologies provide new opportunities for creating novel socio-technical environments and thereby empowering humans, but not without potential pitfalls. We explore these opportunities and pitfalls from a lifelong-learning perspective and discuss how wireless and mobile technologies can influence and change conceptual frameworks such as the relationship between planning and situated action, context awareness, human attention, distances in collaborative design activities, and the trade-off between tools for living and tools for learning. The impact of wireless and mobile technologies is illustrated with our research projects, which focus on moving 'computing off the desktop' by 'going small, large, and everywhere'. Specific examples include human-centred public transportation systems, collaborative design, and information sharing with smart physical objects.

Towards a mobile flipped classroom: Using mobile instant messaging to enhance distributed learning of academically challenged students

“…Themes were drawn from the topics discussed and messages embodied in the postings to develop a nuanced analysis of the postings. The themes were then compared with the theoretical framework (Fischer & Konomi, 2007;Oblinger & Maruyama, 1996;Winters, 2006) to provide a unified analytical framework as shown in the Table 2. Categories that emerged related to human actors, pedagogical motivations, pedagogical activities, learning designs and social and cultural practices.…”

“…The theory of distributed learning provides human centric perspective on learning, which emphasises activity and usage of technology rather than technologies per se (Fischer & Konomi, 2007). Fischer and Konomi's (2007) framework for the interpretation of distributed intelligence in mobile technologies stresses: Who is using device/application?…”

“…Social presence ensured persistent provisioning of support from educators, tracking effective utilisation of education materials by students, reducing parasitic behaviour engrained in lurking, and guarding against discussions of little substance and the "tyranny of participation". As such, for mobile flipped classrooms to support distributed learning, they need to: provide tools for learning grounded in a 'scaffolding with fading' perspective and autonomous performance by students (Fischer & Konomi, 2007) to enhance the participation of academically challenged students. Such design should also provide support not only to individuals but to groups and communities, exploit the power of social creativity based on informed participation (Fischer et al, 2005) and contextualize generic systems to person and task-specific environments (Fischer, 2001).…”

“…Fischer and Konomi's (2007) framework for the interpretation of distributed intelligence in mobile technologies stresses: Who is using device/application? What are they doing?…”

Reflections on the Impact of Social Technologies on Lecturers in a Pathway Institution

“…Herein, 'technology/ technologies' will refer to artefacts and tools of the Web 2.0 era and beyond. The 'information age' is characterised by the diffusion of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and an increased demand for educational approaches that foster 'lifelong learning' (Fischer & Konomi, 2007). Slaoti, Motteram and Onat-Stelma (2013, p. 78) referred to this phenomenon as the 'technologification' of [adult] learning.…”