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Title:
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CREATING A COLLABORATIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY IN THE CIS SANDBOX |
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Author(s):
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Mark Frydenberg |
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ISBN:
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978-972-8939-71-7 |
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Editors:
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Miguel Baptista Nunes and Pedro Isaías |
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Year:
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2012 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Collaborative Learning, Informal Learning, Learning Community, Computer Lab, Learning Environments |
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Type:
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Full Paper |
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First Page:
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303 |
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Last Page:
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310 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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Traditional computer and tutoring labs are not often conducive to collaborative learning. Their physical layouts, with computers arranged in parallel rows or flanked around a room's perimeter, do not promote communities. At the same time, lab assistants whose responsibilities are often to help students with homework or ensure there is paper in the printer, often lack the opportunity or incentive to leverage their non-tutoring time in order to enhance their own experiences with new technology. When a former Computer Information Systems tutoring lab was renovated at an American University, a decade-old computer lab was consciously transformed into a physical and virtual space for learning and technology. This shift recognizes changes in technology and pedagogy in order to create a collaborative learning community. This paper reports on a practitioner research project to reconfigure a traditional CIS tutoring lab into the 'CIS Sandbox'. Data was collected by sending an online survey to visitors during the Fall 2011 Semester. Results showed that a collaborative working space integrated with an online presence is effective in promoting peer and informal learning about technology. However, this approach, of building a physical and virtual community of technology learners, requires significant management and involvement from a lab director, student assistants, and participants, in order to sustain the level of engagement necessary for continuous learning. |
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