Designing Embedded Phenomena

17 June 2019, 09:00 - 18:00

Tom Moher, University of Illinois at Chicago (moher@uic.edu)
James Slotta, University of Toronto (jslotta@gmail.com) 
Brenda Lopez Silva, University of Illinois at Chicago (brendita@uic.edu)
Michelle Lui, University of Toronto Mississuaga (michelle.lui@gmail.com)
Beth Sanzenbacher, Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School (bsanzenbacher@bernardzell.org)

Contemporary technologies have the power to transform the physical space of classrooms into interactive spaces in which classroom communities engage in sustained, collective inquiry. In the “embedded phenomena” genre, simulated phenomena are scaled and mapped to classroom space and made accessible through stationary and mobile devices that serve as local portals through which learners interact with and collaboratively construct models of those phenomena to solve problems or address driving questions. In this workshop, participants will engage in design charrettes to envision new phenomena amenable to representation within the genre, and collectively address the theoretical and pragmatic issues surround the design and use of embedded phenomena in learning environments. Through this work, we seek to better understand the affordances and limitations of the embedded phenomena approach, and to engage the CSCL community more broadly in development of the genre.

We invite participation from across the CSCL community, including designers, researchers, and classroom practitioners. We particularly encourage applications attendees who may have an interest in building and using embedded phenomena in their research or practice, and with whom we can share our experiences and resources to help make that happen. We also welcome those with an interest in understanding the potential and limitations of embedded phenomena for creating supportive environments for learning and teaching. The workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to engage in a short collective inquiry activity using an embedded phenomena, to work with others in small groups to envision and prototype new embedded phenomena and learning activities, and to collectively identify research and enactment issues surrounding embedded phenomena within the trajectory of ongoing work of our community.

The workshop registration is open for everyone registering for the CSCL 2019 conference in Lyon. Registrations for the workshop will be accepted until 31 May, space permitting. For more information about CSCL 2019 and the registration procedure, please visit the conference webpage:
https://www.cscl2019.com/en/registration-information/registration--accommodation-details/26.
Additional information about the workshop may be found at http://tinyurl.com/CSCL2019EP.