The Architecture of Productive Learning Networks

The Architecture of Productive Learning Networks explores the characteristics of productive networked learning situations and, through a series of case studies, identifies some of the key qualities of successful designs. The case studies include networks from a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, including graphic design, chemistry, health care, library science, and teacher education. These learning networks have been implemented in a variety of settings: undergraduate courses in higher education, continuing professional development, and informal networks for creating and sharing knowledge on a particular topic. They are rich in reusable design ideas. The book introduces a framework for analyzing learning networks to show how knowledge, human interaction and physical and digital resources combine in the operation of productive learning networks. The book also argues that learning through interaction in networks has a long history. It combines ideas from architecture, anthropology, archaeology, education, sociology and organizational theory to illustrate and understand networked forms of learning.

Part One: Foundations 1 Introduction: networked learning and learning networks Peter Goodyear and Lucila Carvalho 2 Productive learning networks: the evolution of research and practice Peter Goodyear 3 Framing the analysis of learning network architectures Peter Goodyear and Lucila Carvalho Part Two: Learning Networks 4 Peep: peer support for programing Lucila Carvalho, Peter Goodyear, Dewa Wardak and Rob Saunders 5 Creating a peer-driven learning network in higher education – using Web 2.0 tools to facilitate online dialogue and collaboration Hanne Westh Nicolajsen and Thomas Ryberg 6 Professional learning and a national community of practice for teachers leading local curriculum change Lynn Robinson and Jaime Metcher 7 One Laptop Per Child (OLPC): a small computer to serve a big cause Martin Parisio, Kate Thompson, Tracy Richardson and Rangan Srikhanta 8 Diseña el Cambio: helping Mexican school children to design a better world Crighton Nichols and David Ashe 9 Biebkracht: library professionals empowered through an inter-organizational learning network – design principles and evolution Marlies Bitter-Rijpkema, Steven Verjans, Wim Didderen and Peter Sloep 10 Qstream: learning in the ‘in-between’ David Ashe, Pippa Yeoman and Tim Shaw 11 ISQua Knowledge: fostering a sense of community for the emerging field of quality in health care Dewa Wardak, Paul Parker and Tim Shaw 12 The Synaptic Leap: open science combating disease Paul Parker, Beat Schwendimann, Kate Thompson and Matthew Todd 13 Virtual Choir: sharing experiences of singing together apart Lucila Carvalho and Peter Goodyear 14 iSpot: your place to share nature Ana Pinto, Kate Thompson, Chris Jones, and Doug Clow 15 Utilizing informal teacher professional development networks using the Network Awareness Tool Maarten de Laat, Bieke Schreurs and Rory Sie Part Three: Synthesis 16 Synthesis: set design, epistemic design and the functioning of learning networks Lucila Carvalho and Peter Goodyear Contributors Index

Lucila Carvalho is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the CoCo Research Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her PhD combined research in design, learning technology and the sociology of knowledge. She has studied and carried out research in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Brazil. She has presented her work at various international conferences in the fields of education, sociology, systemic functional linguistics, design and software engineering. Peter Goodyear is Professor of Education, Australian Laureate Fellow and Co-Director of the CoCo Research Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has been carrying out research in the field of learning and technology since the early 1980s, working in the UK, Europe and Australia. He has published eight books and over 100 journal articles and book chapters.