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3. Better quality of instruction;
4. Diagnosis of obstacles to learning;
5. Assessment of complex and higher-order cognitive skills;
6. Increased productivity of document-centered group work (Lebow, Lick, &
Hartman, 2003-2004).
These findings indicate that HyLighter improved both teaching and learning.
Applications of HyLighter discussed in this chapter validate and extend these
findings.
Theoretical Underpinnings
A combination of complementary theoretical frameworks underlies this work.
Dede's (2002) Distributed Learning emphasizes students' cognitive engagement
with material in a broader social context than could occur in a classroom alone,
because online learning facilitates interaction with students who do not participate in
a face-to-face environment. Related work by Lefoe (1998) on design for web-based
constructivist instruction is based on the rejection of teaching as knowledge trans-
mission and acquisition in favor of an emphasis on learners' initiative and autonomy
in constructing knowledge.
Vygotskyian Social Constructivism contributes to understanding the mechanisms
and predicting benefits of the social annotation practices afforded by HyLighter.
Feedback from peers and the professor scaffolds users within the Zone of Proximal
Development from their actual to their potential levels of understanding and perfor-
mance (Vygotsky, 1978). Using technology for scaffolding is a common theme in
education today; animated pedagogical agents are another example.
At least three principles from Piagetian Cognitive Constructivism can explain the
mechanisms and predict benefits of collaborative social annotation practices. First is
active engagement in learning “
based upon personal need and interest” (Piaget,
1971 p. 152). Using individual experiences and values as a basis for selecting and
commenting on text and reading others' comments encourages meaningful reflec-
tion on and reconceptualization of material rather than merely passively encoding it.
Second is the role of social experience in intellectual development, which is among
the mechanisms Piaget identified (1973). Social annotation exposes learners to mul-
tiple perspectives as they exchange ideas and collaborate on constructing thought,
in this case about documents and videos, drawing on their diverse personal, cultural,
and professional backgrounds. Third is equilibration, which emphasizes the role of
conflict in promoting intellectual development. The varied perspectives encountered
are sometimes discrepant or contradictory, engendering cognitive conflict. Meaning
can be reconstructed, reconciling discrepancies, and resolving conflicts by thinking
at new and higher levels.
The BACEIS model of improving thinking. (Hartman & Sternberg, 1993) is a
comprehensive framework of factors internal and external to the student which affect
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