Ari Wahlstedt, Samuli Peldola and Marketta Niemeli 系級： 碩研資管一甲 報告者： M 李文盈 1

 Introduction  Space-place relationship  From learning spaces to learning places by supporting social interaction  Example of how an e-learning environment supports the sense of place  Discussion and conclusion 2

 The e-learning environment was perceived as an artificial artefact between learners and instructors, developed to frame and support interaction.  Today, e-learning environments are exploited to promote personal and organisational development and learning. 3

 E-learning environments provide platforms that facilitate learning through communication that does not require face-to-face contacts or physical presence in the same space or at the same moment of time.  Currently, despite multiple definitions and approaches to e-learning environments, they are often conceived as common information spaces, accessible through an interface constructed on a technological system. 4

 Kendall (2002) argued that members of online communities and virtual environments have 'intact social systems, and highly charged social relations'.  The online community members feel that when connecting to an online forum, they enter a social place, not a physical space. In other words, the focus on a physical construction, a space, does not correspond with the users' mental models. 5

 Traditional learning spaces (eg, the classroom) provide tools and structures for learning periods (eg, books and teaching), but they also enable the learner to become receptive and mentally 'tune his/her brain' for learning.  The design of learning environments should not be towards spaces for learning, but towards interactive, social places where learning takes place through social interaction. 6

 Currently e-learning environments are more like 'buildings', ie, learning spaces, rather than 'schools', ie, learning places where people optimistically enjoy spending time to learn.  Current e-learning environments are more like windows, where one can peek into a shared information space, or which, in the worst cases, may alienate possible inhabitants. 7

 By creating an e-learning environment as a place for learning, there is a need to design support for different kinds of social interactions within the environment, in a similar manner to architects inhibiting physical spaces.  By shifting the design focus to social interaction, e-learning environments adopt environmental and social characteristics and become more like places of learning-but still without physical restrictions. 8

 The relationship between space and place is social: spaces are converted to places by people, their interpretation of a space and their social interactions.  Physically, a place is a space which is invested with understandings of behavioural appropriateness, cultural expectations, and so forth.  'places' are spaces that are valued. 9

 These objectives were deliberately considered in the design: public spaces to attract people and to provide a feeling that it is socially acceptable to be there, and private spaces to provide certain privacy and a feeling of intimacy.  Understanding the differences between space and place helps not only the designers of buildings and milieus, but also the designers of computer applications, eg, e-learning environments. 10

 Different groups have different understandings of similar places and concepts that change over time, and places have to be created through practices and appropriation by a certain group.  Different technologies provide different comprehensions of the space, thus assisting the understanding of the place dissimilarly. 11

 Social interaction is defined as any form of formal or informal encounter between individuals, consisting of both verbal and nonverbal elements, eg, facial expressions, gestures and body movements.  E-learning environments often try to capture this multifaceted character of interaction by combining different media, including tools and materials, to support and stimulate communication, cooperation and learning. 12

 Despite the different media available, current e- learning environments are predominantly functional, focusing almost solely on the support of cognitive learning processes.  They are lacking functionalities that have been identified as key elements in group learning: learning is fundamentally built up through social interaction between the learners. 13

 People using these environments often feel isolated and remote and, consequently, cannot or are not willing to establish relationships with each other.  Environment is apparently an isolated space.  A space becomes a place when meanings, constructed through social interaction, cultural identities and personal involvement are supported and embedded into the environment. 14

 The degree of social involvement can be questioned if participants cannot experience and be aware of the presence of others.  The media are not combined into an aggregate, but they are designed so that learners can adapt to the situation and seamlessly move between them, simultaneously being aware of others regardless of their tools and locations in the learning place. 15

 A space without any meaning for the user, eg, without personal motivation, reason, suitable content or social interaction possibilities, is not the best place for learning.  It is only a temporary space that is traversed, a space that needs personification: a transformation from space to place. 16

 As Internet connections provide access to learning material location independently, and the systems support different activities (search for material, editing, etc), the main difference between an e-learning environment and traditional learning centres is conceptualized in the issues of being comfortable and sociable.  The Moodle environment supports a variety of interaction mechanisms (media or tools). › Learners may communicate with others by chatting (real- time communication) and by reading bulletin boards (eg, blogs). › The environment also provides a discussion feature where audio- and video-based communication are available. 17

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 Given that learners have decided to take an e-learning course, the best place for learning is anywhere that the learner feels most comfortable.  This requirement of social interaction puts demands both on the space in which learning takes place and on the transformation of the space to a learning place where social interaction is possible both mentally and in terms of technologies (media or tools). 22

 A technically efficient platform is one of the most important success factors for a virtual community.  The focus in designing e-learning environments cannot be solely on technologies and single tools or media. 23

 The designers of e-learning environments should act as architects, comprehending the environment as a place for learning rather than a collection of different technologies.  By carrying out this type of mental shift, the transformation from e-learning spaces to e- learning places is also possible and supported. Then the evolution to the third generation of e- learning environments is truly possible. 24