Internet Communication Technologies and Networked Learning: Identity Formation Through Social Exchange

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to argue that communication technologies play a non-neutral rather than passive role in formulating both student and teacher identities in verbal and non-verbal social exchanges. Further research into group interaction within peer-based collaborative tools is required to determine how these cognitive tools can lead to higher levels of learning in students. For many years, educators have been exploring ways to improve teaching and learning practices with the help of technologically innovative tools. Cognitive tools used in collaborative learning environments support the interactive construction of knowledge during problem-solving processes as they promote students' adoption of an active learner mode. Increasingly, the social aspects of our e-learning environments are being used to inform how educational episodes should best be designed to take full advantage of the cognitive powers that students possess. While conceptual understandings are foremost to learning, we also need ways of expressing outwardly the representation of our concepts. Language, tools, symbols, and cues are the ways we objectify and communicate our concepts in everydav life inside and outside our classrooms. By furthering our understanding of various e-learning cultures, cues and contexts, we can ensure that the best possible educational scenarios emerge.