A New Conceptual Framework for CSCL

Traditional computer-supported learning environments (i.e. desktop PCs) have been show to promote collaboration. However, these have been constrained by the PC classroom mindset of learning. The influx of wireless technologies provides new opportunities for designing novel computer-supported environments that support a wider range of collaborative interactions. For instance, collaboration can take on different forms, such as, adult-child collaboration or peer-peer collaboration, local or remote collaboration involving different forms of communication. Moreover, depending on the type of collaboration, learners experience a different kind of interaction, which can enable them to reflect in different ways. Using multiple collaborative interactions that facilitate diverse forms of reflection allows us to begin to explore the learning process in more detail. This paper presents a new conceptual framework for investigating and analysing how multiple collaborative interactions may support different forms of reflection. The framework is used here to analyse and inform the design of a novel mixed reality learning environment for children.