Wireless Initiative, Trinity College Dublin - Knowledge Spaces

Wireless Initiative
Trinity College, Dublin
Cutting the Strings in a Wireless Environment

Knowledge
Spaces -
Anita Flanagan

Communally Constructed Knowledge Spaces -
The Role of Students in Building their own Knowledge

Knowledge Spaces - Communally Constructed
Knowledge Spaces is a learning environment that allows both students and teachers to upload resources for the courses they study/teach e.g. programs, notes, audio files that help to build an educational library to help everyone in the class to learn. Communication by means of a message board for each course will also be provided wherein students can not only discuss work but which also encourages a more social atmosphere to the learning experience with wireless technology. There are three independent users on the system: the student, the teacher and the administrator, each role being critical for the success of the project. Security is also essential for the success of the project and was addressed, especially for the teacher and administration privileges.

Intuitive Knowledge Library
The aim is to present the knowledge library for each class in an intuitive way so teachers and students will find the system easy to incorporate into their normal class time. The system is also completely dynamic and can be easily changed on a regular basis as new classes arrive, however the knowledge library from previous years will continue to be available.
Using a relational database, it is possible for the teacher of any course to see which students are logging into the application; which students are uploading resources; if the students are logging in during class time; and where the students are logging in from i.e. from college or home as well as which students have uploaded which resources.
Empowering students by providing such tools for them to build their own research and resource library both for themselves and for others as well as rapid fire ways to communicate with each other will allow for the active participation of students in their learning and encourage them to take full advantage of wireless laptops in class. 74% of the student class involved with the Knowledge Spaces project reported that they would use a communally-constructed knowledge library, with a further 13% stating that they would possibly use it. The response to the possibility of providing a resource library was also very positive with many of the students willing to build a knowledge library for themselves. They reported that it would save time and also increase the number of students sharing information (where previously resources were only shared among friends).
Students' Contribution
Students help to build the knowledge library using the online system, simultaneously using it as a tool that helps them to learn effectively. It is important that all the services provided to the students are clearly described. In this case: a resource library for each of their courses, a message board for each course they study and also an area to upload resources for each of these courses. The students' activities whilst they are logged into the system are tracked. This should be seen as an aid that helps teachers understand more about how and where their students learn best.
Teacher Contribution
The role of the teacher like that of the students is to build a knowledge library. They also have the role of administrating the library and the message board for the courses that they teach. To do this they will need to continually look at the resources students are uploading and decide whether they are in fact useful learning resources. This role will be aided by the resource information that will be provided to the teachers which contains the details of each resource e.g. number of times it has been used, who uploaded it, etc.
Students' Area
The student's area will allow students to see the details for each of their courses, and for each of these courses also allow them to access and add new resources. Since each resource will also store a learning type, the students must be able to register their own learning style on the system. To find out their own learning style they can complete the online learning style survey. This will help them to decide which resources in the library are best suited for them and also how they ought to structure their own learning methods.
Teachers' Area
The teachers need to be provided with the same functionality as the students. Since their role requires them to administrate the contents stored for each of the courses, functionality to delete resources and messages must also be provided. They also need to see the details for each student to determine how each student is performing and determine if they are helping to build the knowledge library. They will also be able to add a grade for each student depending on their performance using the system. Teachers must also be able to see the history of each of the resources in their course. This information can help the teachers to decide which resource should be kept in the library.
Administrators' Area
The administrator will require functionality to add new people to the system, add an additional role to a teacher e.g. make a teacher an administrator, add courses with students and teachers and enter a timetable for each course. A method of deleting all the students and teacher from a course must also be provided. It is not possible, however, for the administrator to delete the resources or messages for a course. This is because communal constructivism advocates using the resources that were provided by other students and years.
The aim of Knowledge Spaces is: "To create an environment where students leave their imprint on the course, and the field, as an integral part of their learning not only benefits their own learning, the learning of their colleagues in their classes and those that will come after them, but more importantly creates a vast number of graduates who will be well aware of the importance of teaching and education and thus communal constructivism also provides a teaching apprenticeship for all those who come through the school system" Holmes, et al. 2000. The potential inherent in communally constructed learning environments is wide-ranging in possible applications. On a large scale, the advantages this system could bring to the educational forum could prove to be invaluable. Hopefully, dynamic systems that promote learning with and for others will be incorporated into the wireless classroom of the future.


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© Holmes, Cahill, Flanagan, Stewart, O'Callaghan - June 2002