1. CSCL’07 Information as a Social Achievement: Collaborative Information Behavior in CSCL Nan Zhou Alan Zemel Gerry Stahl The Virtual Math Teams Project The Information School at Drexel University

2. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 2 Outline Introduction of the problem Overview of the study The VMT project Research method Data Analysis

3. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 3 Introduction Learning as a contentious concept Koschmann et al (2005) argue for the study of “how participants … actually go about doing learning” and examination of “member’s methods” (Garfinkel 1967) Suthers (2006) proposes intersubjective meaning making as the central phenomenon of the interest to the CSCL community. Stahl (2006) Group Cognition. Learners in CSCL environments constantly engage in various information practices. We argue that information practices constitute important part of learners’ activities thus need closer examination for understanding learning. CSCL has not looked closely at information practices whereas studies of information behavior haven’t focused on collaboration and learning

4. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 4 Overview This exploratory study –is situated in the Virtual Math Teams research project –looks at information practices of small groups of students when they work on a math problem collaboratively in a virtual environment We have studied information practices of small groups: –Negotiation and co-construction of information needs –Information seeking –Making sense of information and applying to solving the problem We argue that information only becomes information for participants when it is interactionally constructed to be meaningful and intelligible in their local situation.

5. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 5 The Virtual Math Teams (VMT) Project Aims to build an online math discourse community We are designing and deploying a service as an extension to the Math Forum’s current Problem of the Week service – bring students together to explore math collaboratively in online chat environments Analyzes the interactions taking place in small groups to understand practices and various issues (such as design, community building) Design-Based Research: cycles of design

6. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 6 Research Methods Over 90 sessions with groups of students in naturalistic settings – e.g. VMT Spring Festival Participants range from 6 th to 12 th grade across the country and internationally; interactions are mediated through the online chat environment A typical session is about one hour long with 2-5 participants and a facilitator from VMT Ethnomethodologically-informed approach based on aspects of conversation analysis – micro level analysis from an interactional perspective Data sessions

7. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 7 Data Analysis

8. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 8 Negotiation of Information Needs Seeking information Negotiation and construction of meaning

9. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 9 The picture here gives you a rough idea of what my pool looks like. (Notice that the railing sections are straight, but the pool itself is a cylinder) How many gallons of water does the pool hold? Extra: An Olympic-sized swimming pool is quite a bit larger than our pool. They are usually 50 meters by 25 meters, when looking from the top, and the picture below shows the depths of one Olympic-sized pool. How many times could I fill my pool with the water from this pool? The Water in My Pool – from the Problem of the Week at the Math Forum

10. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 10 Negotiation of Information Needs 146AMEThe height of the olympic pool is 25 right?7:32:31 147KIMrereading7:32:50 148HOLheight is 2m7:33:33 149AMEwha?7:33:39 150KIMI think we're looking at a side view - so the heights are given in the picture7:33:44 151AMEI disagree7:34:38 152KIMit says, "They are usually 50 meters by 25 meters, when looking from the top"7:36:30 153HOL?7:36:50 154KIMthen, "the picture below shows the depths"7:37:59 155AMEyeah but whats the height?7:38:19 156HOLheight from what perspectiv7:38:58

11. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 11 Negotiation of Information Needs How does an information problem emerge? The need (to find out what the height of the pool is) is negotiated and constructed through the interactions.

12. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 12 Negotiation of information needs in the process of problem solving 120 REA Are u there PIN8:48:08 121 PIN ya im here8:48:29 122 REA checking8:48:37 123 REA u stuck cause i am:-(8:49:07 124 PIN well angle CED is congruent to angle B8:49:56 125 PIN if that helps8:50:06 126 REA It helps8:50:48 127 REA but i already estlabished that8:51:15 128 PIN im stuck8:51:36 129 MCP What's known?8:51:42 130 MCP BE:EC = 3:5, right?8:52:05 131 REA how did you get that8:52:42 132 PIN how did u get that8:52:43 133 PIN lol8:52:46 134 MCP Tri ABC similar to DEC8:53:10 135 PIN ya we got that8:53:19 136 MCP AB:DE = 8:5, right?8:53:30 137 REA We know that8:53:33 138 PIN ya8:53:35 139 MCP So BC:EC=8:58:53:51 140 REA ya8:54:11 141 MCP That 8 breaks down 3 for BE, 5 for EC8:54:23 142 REA We might have to use law of sines8:54:38

13. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 13 Negotiation of information needs in the process of problem solving What is useful information? How does an information problem emerge during group interactions? Why is MCP’s proposal “So BC:EC=8:5” at line 139 not picked up by the group? What could the group have done to get “unstuck”?

14. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 14 Negotiation of Information Needs Seeking information Negotiation and construction of meaning

15. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 15 Seeking Information – Question Posing & Use of Resources 106SUP is there a formula for a 60/60/60?8:29:04 107AVR I have no idea8:29:12 108AVR I think once we find the formula it should be pretty easy8:29:20 109AVR I don't think there's a formula, though8:29:24 110PIN search google8:29:27 111AVR I think we find it some other way8:29:29 112AVR that's what I'm doing8:29:31 113SUP what does itmeans by edglengths?8:29:41 114SUP jone of the 3 sides?8:30:23 115AVR edgelength means length of a side8:30:42 116SUP ok8:30:46 * An excerpt from a VMT session, powwow2 group2

16. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 16 Equilateral Triangle Areas - posted March 1, 2004 If two equilateral triangles have edgelengths of 9 cubits and 12 cubits, what's the edgelength of the equilateral triangle whose area is equal to the sum of the areas of the other two?

17. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 17 Seeking Information – Question Posing & Use of Resources Information questions are directed to the group Tactics of posing a question Use of external resource: search google

18. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 18 How an information question is answered can be consequential 172137Wait. Why are we using summations?06.56.15 173Jasonfor the formulas.. it looks nicer that way :)06.56.36 174Jasonjust downloaded trial of MathType, will install now...06.56.48 175ssjnishhope this doesnt sound too stupid, but wuts a summation06.56.58 176Jasoninstalled :-)06.57.14 177137The sum of all terms from a to b06.57.34 178Jasonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigma_notation06.57.36 179davidcylgood idea06.57.50 180Jasondon't worry nish, you'll learn all about it next year06.58.11

19. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 19 Negotiation of Information Needs Seeking information Negotiation and construction of meaning

20. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 20 Negotiation and Construction of Meaning How meaning is constructed and information is made sense of and applied to the problem situation –Data excerpt 1: “I dunno bout the permutation” –Data excerpt 2: what do you mean by “pyramind”?

21. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 21

22. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 22 374QuicksilverOh!! Wait...Your thinking of the kind of pyramid that is flat on one whole edge 07.18.13 375QuicksilverI mean like a real pyramid that each layer is completely centered07.18.32 376AznxDraw it.07.18.44 377Quicksilveri'll try07.18.57 378bwang8use the rectangle tool, it's easier07.19.24 379AznxYeah.07.19.32 380Quicksilverk07.19.33 381bwang8o ic07.19.44 382Quicksilvertop view07.19.49 383Quicksilversomething like that07.20.16 384bwang8i c what you mean07.20.19 385Quicksilverdo u aznx?07.20.27 386AznxSince we're both in Spanish class, are you saying something what the Aztecs made? 07.20.30

23. CSCL’07 Nan Zhou, The Virtual Math Teams 23 Summary of findings Participants negotiate and construct their information needs collaboratively. Often an information problem emerges and initiates such process. Group is a primary information resource for them. There are observable tactics that participants frame their information questions. How an information question is answered can be consequential on participation. Use of online resources is a common practice. There is discrepancy between students’ perception of online resources and the reality. There is difficulty applying what they found to the problem. They need to do the work of constructing meaning of the information in their local situation. Information is essentially a social achievement that is constructed collaboratively and emerges through the interactions of the group.

24. CSCL’07 Questions? Comments? Nan Zhou Alan Zemel Gerry Stahl The Virtual Math Teams Project The Information School at Drexel University nan.zhou@ischool.drexel.edu