Abstract :
Research on asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) has indicated that there
are problems with both the quantity and quality of online interactions that can
undermine the aim of inquiry. The goal of this paper is to offer a new way of
thinking about these problems in the context of knowledge building, a specific
form of collaborative inquiry supported by an ALN. Drawing from interviews
with teachers following two teacher education courses that introduced
teachers to knowledge building, it is argued that we need to rethink the role
and purpose of online work in ALNs—as building a
communal learning resource
.
A framework for doing this is proposed in terms of three notions: collaboration,
learning how to learn and idea improvement. The framework is expected to
contribute to the literature on knowledge building by providing a new way to
distinguish knowledge building from other forms of collaborative inquiry.
