Running Head: WIKI AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

A Wiki: An Open Resource Tool for Collaborative Learning

ETEC-512, Paper # 4

By
Bassam Adlouni
Nov. 11, 2012

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Technology has integrated into the educational system and become an essential part for
students engagement. Open resource technologies like web 2.0 has shifted the learning system
from a static status of receiving information into a student cooperative and collaborative learning
where student can create and control the content of information and knowledge to share, interact,
and collaborate (Packer, 2012). In this paper, I argue that situated learning is embedded in
distributed cognition as a conceptualised framework of collaborative activities of learners, those
using open-source tools like wiki.
A Wiki, is a web site where users can edit or add content directly to a web page
(Naismith, Lee, & Pilkington, 2011). It is one of the web 2.0 tools that represents the
collaborative and the interactive web sites for users (Aharony, 2009). Wiki, moreover, empowers
students to collaboratively generate, mix, edit and synthesise subject specific knowledge within
a shared and openly accessible digital space (Wheeler, Yeomans, & Wheeler, 2008, p.989).
Situated learning is, a change in mental models that happens [for learners] through
social interaction in a given context (Goel, Johnson, Junglas, & Ives, 2010, p. 217). Goel et al.
argues that, all learning occurs within a situation-dependent context (P. 217). In addition,
Owen, Grant, Sayers and Facer, as cited by Wheeler et al. (2008), contended that the social
network creation is important for learners to acquire knowledge (P.989). Therefore, situated
learning is considered as part of the web 2.0 characteristics because of the socially integration of
knowledge as part of the learners activities. Distributed cognition, on the other hands, is the
framework of the harmonic coordination of different cognitive processes of members of a social
group (Hollan, Hutchins, & Kirsh, 2000, p.176). In my opinion, the situated learning represents a
functional process of many cognitive processes that take place to shape the final outcome of the
distributed cognition. A good example here is this course where learners get involved in situated

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learning and the whole class is developing a conceptual understanding of the knowledge;
representing the distributed learning through the collaborative activities. According to Brown et
al., and Roschelle, as cited by Naismith, Lee, and Pilkington (2011), Collaborative learning is
thought to encourage deeper engagement with subject material through processes of situated
action and interaction (P. 228).
In conclusion, wiki as a 2.0 web tool represents the open learning technology to embrace
learners engagement in subject material through a collaborative learning based on interactions
between students, teachers and web contents. This collaborative learning is the reflection of the
situated learning process; constructing the overall distributed cognition framework based on
students engagement.

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Reference:
Aharony, N. (2009). The use of a wiki as an instructional tool: A qualitative
investigation. Journal of Web Librarianship, 3(1), 35-53.
Goel, L., Johnson, N., Junglas, I., & Ives, B. (2010). Situated learning: Conceptualization and
measurement. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 8(1), 215-240.
Hollan, J., Hutchins, E., & Kirsh, D. (2000). Distributed cognition: Toward a new foundation for
human-computer interaction research. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human
Interaction (TOCHI), 7(2), 174-196.
Naismith, L., Lee, B. ., & Pilkington, R. M. (2011). Collaborative learning with a wiki:
Differences in perceived usefulness in two contexts of use. Journal of Computer Assisted
Learning, 27(3), 228-242.
Packer, D. L. (2012). Experimental effects of online collaborative tools on high school student
motivation to learn.
Wheeler, S., Yeomans, P., & Wheeler, D. (2008). The good, the bad and the wiki: Evaluating
student-generated content for collaborative learning. British Journal of Educational
Technology, 39(6), 987-987.