Advancing Technology Environments for Learning Communities

This symposium will examine and envision new possibilities to design next generation technology environments for advancing the study of classroom learning communities as a pedagogical approach. Of the many different kinds of technology environments used in educational research, technology designed for learning communities represents a unique genre in which the environments must support particular epistemic values, modes of learning, and discourse. The talks in this session represent five distinct projects, each focusing on the features of a technological environment and how they support learning communities (e.g., making learners’ ideas salient; representing community knowledge; enabling idea interaction across boundaries; fostering a sense of progress). Across the papers, we identify cross-cutting research priorities and common technological elements that characterize this pivotal research area, with implications for future research and the development of community supporting technology.