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deals with online discourse only. Lossman and So (2008) identified a “tendency
to a higher diversity of verbal interactions online as compared to the more didactic
teacher-centered discourse used in the classroom.” (p. 1). Bordage (2007) found that
written discourse was more conducive toward explanatory discourse than the ver-
bal face-to-face context in which no collaborative technologies were used. Cazden
(2001) alluded to computer-supported collaboration as leading to variations in
the IRE/F (teacher initiation-student response-teacher evaluation/feedback) basic
classroom discourse structure. Cazden recognizes (2001) that online discourse is
more public, a characteristic often stressed by Bereiter and Scardamalia since 1994.
Cazden (2001) and Scardamalia, Bereiter, Hewitt, and Webb (1996), stressed non-
traditional discourse in which collaborative explanations are encouraged. The latter
emphasizes the role of online collaborative spaces to this end.
Knowledge Forum is an asynchronous discourse medium that consists of contri-
butions or notes embedded in views to a community knowledge base. A simple
Knowledge Forum note, text, graphic, or other media consists of a single idea;
however, the author of the note labels it with a problem and with “scaffolds.”
Both serve to give the note a place in more extended work with ideas such
as theory refinement, evidence gathering, argumentation, or literary interpreta-
tion. Additionally, each note is embedded in one or more views. The views are
graphical representations of higher-level conceptual structures constructed by par-
ticipants to give greater meaning to the notes they contain (Scardamalia, 2002)
(see Figs. 24.1 and 24.2).
This chapter presents teachers' boundary-spanning activity as they practiced a
knowledge-building pedagogy and integrated the software into their teaching. Were
they successful in transforming the IRF/E basic classroom discourse structure? To
what extent? To document this working hypothesis, we first provide contextual and
methodological background, especially in the presence of explanation as a key indi-
cator of knowledge building. Second, the methodology for analyzing classrooms'
online discourse is described. Third, the results of studies are presented. Fourth, the
discussion highlights next research steps, and educational implications.
Methodology
When Mehan (1979) conducted his well-cited ethnographic study, he studied
classroom interaction in one elementary classroom. Cazden's study was also an
ethnographic one (1988, 2001). Currently, ethnography can be conducted online
and more specifically through classroom discourse analysis. The unit of analysis
was set in reference to the IRE/F sequence as we focused on sequences with at least
a third turn/move or more.
From looking at the data and referring to previous analyses of Knowledge Forum
databases, we thought that we had the possibility to document at length and in-
depth the presence of a different kind of classroom discourse when students engage
