2.3. Methodological and Technical Issues

(moderated by Daniel Schneider)

This discussion will be guided by three criteria:

Give room to more technical/methodological contributions
Look at certain questions asked in the field of educational technology
By "evacuating" topics during discussion in the 2 previous sections. We will decided on the spot what belongs here and what is better discussed "in context". The proposed list of topics to discuss is incomplete.

1. WWW for teaching & learning

More global issues will be discussed previously. But we could start rounding up everything under the header "What is a good learning environment", see point E. below.

A. WWW, Hypertext, Education

How do these three interrelate ? In which way is distant teaching different from class-room supported teaching ?

Information on-line (manuals, bibliographies, etc.)
see Andersson, Duval, Keily, Speh, Westhead
Curricula, Guide to courses
see Andersson, Kruper, McAfee, Rose, Speh
Resource server for teachers
see Rose,
Educational texts on-line & Lessons
see Andersson, Duval, Hensarling, Kruper, McAfee, Raza, Rose, Speh, Westhead
Presentation tool for teachers & students
see Schroeder,
Exercises (for off-line exercises)
see Andersson, Hensarling Speh,
Exercises (on-line exercises like browsing, forms or links to external clients)
see Andersson, Hensarling Speh,
Software server
Collaborative writing tool
see McAfee Rose
Other collaborative work (dynamic hypertext, "News like conferencing system", co-writing)
see Dimitroyannis, Rose
Jigsaw puzzles, Hunts
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B. Hypertext: Style & Navigation Issues

The relation between linear text and hypertext. What are the advantages of a linear, but cross-references structure? What are the conceptual conversion problems of linear course material?
see Drakos, Westhead
Different hypertext structures: What are they good for e.g. linear for lessons, clusters for explorations, trees for information, , combinations like semi-linear for points of view, etc.
The rhetorics of Hypermedia and html. How to write good educational HT. What is good usage of pictures, sound, movies, etc.
see Drakos, Westhead
Navigation aids - Indexing like navigation buttons, window histories, maps or more difficult like private navigation aids (like in "story-book"
see Schroeder, Drakos, Schroeder
Active Reading
see Schroeder
Validation of Document concepts, e.g. do they read the right thing
see Schroeder
Adaptive Hypertext, how to change the structure of the HT in function of the learner's needs ?
see Schroeder
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C. Hypertext as groupware, collaborative work tool, teacher control tool

Dynamic hypertext
see Lilley, Schroeder
Integrating the WWW with other Computer Mediated Communication techniques.
see Lilley, Raza, Speh
Analyzing what the student has done
see Lilley,
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D. Tutoring & Learning with forms, external local clients, server-side scripts. Active Hypertexts

Simple Q&A - what is it good for ? Assessment or more ?
see Lilley,
Launch external clients - with or without interface
see Hensarling see Lilley,
Sophisticated server-side computation
see Lilley,
Simulations & other learning by doing interfaces relying on both server & client applications
see Schroeder, Westhead
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E. What is the place of the WWW in a full learning environment:

1. Can we fill in this table ? This discussion point may be tackled already earlier in this workshop. (See Marcus' "program". Most contributions touch this heading, therefore no pointers.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      teacher   monitor  fellow    learning   Ext. info   tools  
                                         learners  material   sources            
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Simple WWW             


WWW with forms &
server side scripts


WWW with local data
processing clients


WWW with intelligent 
server-side computing 


+ computer or      
  telephone talk 

+ e-mail

+ virtual reality 

(what else ???.....)

For using other tools with the WWW, see:
Dimitroyannis, Lilley, Raza, Speh, etc.

F. What is learning material?

Besides good hypertext, what active learning tools can we implement with the Web ? Here is a (short) list of different kinds of computational learning environments in use. They can be classified along several axes like "Instruction - Learning", "External - Internal Control",

Programmed Instruction (little step by step transfer of content)
Computer Assisted Instruction (Drills & Tutorials)
Intelligent Computer Assisted Instruction (ITS Tutorials)
Computer Based Learning (Simulations, Hypertext & Microworlds)
Intelligent Learning Environments (Microworlds + tutors, helpers, experts)
Cognitive Learning Support Environments (some hypertexts)
Knowledge Construction & Environments & Intellectual Toolkits
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2. Technical issues ("How do we do it?")

Maintenance of large bodies of HT, indexing
Westhead
The power of HTML, HTML+ for educational hypermedia. Do we need extensions ? What about state ?
see Lilley,
Integrating the WWW with other Computer Mediated Communication techniques - Technical Issues.
see Lilley, Westhead
Tools for html authoring
see Drakos (large text, granularity, navigation), Kruper, Westhead
Integration of WWW clients and HTML with other applications
see Lilley,
The use of WWW as user interface management system to databases
see Duval
Compatibility of CGI forms & server-side scripts among us
see Lilley,
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D.K.S.