Teachers College, Columbia University

1. Creating a Collaborative Knowledge Network as a Foundation for a Distance Learning Community:The PocketKnowledge ProjectGary Natriello, Anthony Cocciolo, Brian Hughes, Hui Soo Chae Teachers College, Columbia University

2. I. Origins and Rationale

3. Historical Collections • Institutional Archives • Historical Dissertation Collection • Faculty Collections • Administrative Records

4. Contemporary Archiving - Faculty Materials • Research, Teaching, Service - Staff and Administrative Materials • Minutes, Reports, Records, Correspondence • Media • Student Materials • Coursework, Theses, Other, Student Groups

5. II. Learning Principles

6. Overview The PocketKnowledge interface was designed primarily to: 1) Promote meaningful learning by facilitating the interconnection of conceptual knowledge spaces. 2) Illustrate the contours of knowledge production within the field, as it is produced locally at the institution. My discussion will focus on those elements involving the learning aspect.

7. Theoretical Framework Ausubel’s Assimilation Learning Theory (1968)* Meaningful learning is a process in which new information is related to an existing relevant aspect of an individual’s knowledge structure. * Ausubel, D. P. (1968) Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View. New York: Holt.

8. Application of Theory • Novak (1998): Concept maps can facilitate the assimilation of new knowledge through the creation of linkages with past knowledge. • McFarland & Klopfer (2006): Network visualizations, like concept maps, “facilitate individual learning more than lists of unrelated concepts” (8). Novak, J. D. (1998) Learning, Creating, and Using Knowledge: Concept Maps as Facilitative Tools in Schools and Corporations. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. McFarland, J. & Klopfer, E. (in review) Network Searching: A New Way of Seeing the Education Knowledge Domain.

9. Knowing a network by navigating it The browsing interface connects knowledge products with related knowledge productions via tag, pocket, author and uploader. The user can jump-between and discover connections between these categories. The process of navigating an interconnected collection of materials forms a dynamic network of linkages.

10. Traversal of Materials forms a Concept Map + + Sociology & Education Social ties Natriello Strong Ties, Weak Ties: Relational Dimensions of Learning Settings + + Data mining Carolan Data-mining Journals and Books: A social research A Sociological Inquiry into the Distinction between sects and cults Scientific approach for the social scientist Marginal Man Theory Revisited: Science Education Application Community Tag Author Tag Document + Intersect with A View all

11. Concept map induced from navigating the interface We posit that when a learner navigates an interconnected, networked space, he forms a mental model of the conceptual space. This mental model can be mapped onto pre-existing knowledge structures. This process is more efficient if the learner has knowledge of one or more parts of the concept map which he could use to relate new knowledge to.

12. Navigation vs. Diagram We also posit that navigating a network (or experiencing it incrementally) is more effective when integrating concept maps with knowledge structures compared to comprehending a network diagram. The incremental approach is less cognitively demanding compared to the resources required for diagram comprehension.

13. Concept Maps illustrate construction of knowledge The evocation of mental maps which illustrate the connections between concepts and their creators promotes the notion that knowledge is socially constructed.

14. PK as learning tool • Promotes meaningful learning through the interconnection of conceptual knowledge spaces • More cognitively efficient representation system (incremental navigation vs. network visualizations) • Illustrates the social construction of knowledge

15. III. Design Considerations

16. Graphical Elements: Brand/Image • Reinventing the “institutional archive” • Represent authority differently • Interface (including the homepage) is a “high-touch” control panel for searching and browsing • Dynamic organizational structure • The Web 2.0 paradigm • Trust the user • Creating a social space • Inviting color and theme (fun!)

17. Graphical Elements: Brand/Image

18. Graphical Elements: Visualizing Data • Representation of data • Pie charts (competition) • Clouds • Thumbnails • Representation of structure/organization • Browsing interface (intersections) • Breadcrumbs • User/group images

19. Example 1: browsing by pocket, author intersections

20. Example 2: browsing by pocket, tag cloud intersections

21. IV. Outreach and Engagement

22. Promoting PocketKnowledge • Benefits: • High degree of individual control • Personal online space • Publishing platform • Teachers College Archives • Lifetime membership

23. Marketing PocketKnowledge • Multi-segment marketing strategy: • For faculty: • Be part of the historical legacy of Teachers College • For students: • A research tool • Knowledge sharing system • Personal storage • Community of scholars

24. Fall 2006 Outreach Activities • Individual meetings with faculty/instructors • New student orientations • Classroom visits • Academic department/library events • Demonstrations for student organizations • Messages on TC list serves • Library website • Wikipedia entry

25. V. Faculty and Student Use

26. Faculty Uses of PocketKnowledge • Course management system • Post lecture notes and assignments • Share personally-authored publications • Distribute instructional resources (e.g., videos) • Collect student-work • Archive of personal publications

27. Uses of PocketKnowledge by Students • Research groups • Resource sharing system • Publishing tool • Storage space