Using Handheld Technology To Move Between Private And Public Interactions In The Classroom

Abstract

Research has shown the importance of both private and public interactions with learning environments. Until now there has been little research on how to combine these two types of interactions in productive learning environments. Furthermore, the use of these interactions have traditionally correlated with the metaphor of learning used by instructional designers: designers who focus on private interactions tend to work with the knowledge as acquisition metaphor, and designers who focus on public interactions tend to work with the knowledge as participation metaphor. In this chapter we show that handheld computers can be used to support both public and private interactions, and we discuss how aspects of both public and private interactions can aid primarily individualistic activities as well as primarily collaborative activities. We present three examples of handheld use that exploit these unique affordances, and discuss how the use of handheld computers can be used to bridge research across different metaphors of learning.