Chapter 1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Situational Analysis Nowadays, technology is widely recognized as an integral part in industries. Organizations, government agencies, and other establishments today are advancing rapidly by combining with technology, which is also briskly advancing, to further improve the means of gaining progress. The use of computer technology gives industries an opening to many doors of opportunities of creating a quality impact to its progress. As technological advancement emerged in 21st century, schools have seized its advantages and applied it to the improvement of teaching and learning. From the use of Audio/Visual Technologies to computers, and extending it to the Internet, it caused a vast change to the atmosphere of learning. Moreover, Kessler (2011) indicated that technology is helping teachers to expand beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways. Its role in schools has evolved from a contained “computer class” into a versatile learning tool that could change how we demonstrate concepts, assign projects and assess progress. Globally, the growth in the use of technology to support collaborative learning in higher education has attracted a rapidly growing number of research studies focused on some aspect of technology-supported collaborative learning examined from different theoretical perspectives. Many perspectives contribute to the understanding of technology in support of collaborative learning. The advances of the learning sciences, combined with the needs of the knowledge society, have heightened the requirements for flexible (time and space) and challenging (problem-solving and knowledge building) learning environments. (Laferrière, et. al., 2007). According to Socolick (2012), in November 2011, New York University announced plans to replace blackboard. In its place will be NYU Classes, an open-source collaborative learning system (CLS) powered by the Sakai CLE (Collaborative Learning
INTRODUCTION
Situational Analysis Nowadays, technology is widely recognized as an integral part in industries. Organizations, government agencies, and other establishments today are advancing rapidly by combining with technology, which is also briskly advancing, to further improve the means of gaining progress. The use of computer technology gives industries an opening to many doors of opportunities of creating a quality impact to its progress. As technological advancement emerged in 21st century, schools have seized its advantages and applied it to the improvement of teaching and learning. From the use of Audio/Visual Technologies to computers, and extending it to the Internet, it caused a vast change to the atmosphere of learning. Moreover, Kessler (2011) indicated that technology is helping teachers to expand beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways. Its role in schools has evolved from a contained “computer class” into a versatile learning tool that could change how we demonstrate concepts, assign projects and assess progress. Globally, the growth in the use of technology to support collaborative learning in higher education has attracted a rapidly growing number of research studies focused on some aspect of technology-supported collaborative learning examined from different theoretical perspectives. Many perspectives contribute to the understanding of technology in support of collaborative learning. The advances of the learning sciences, combined with the needs of the knowledge society, have heightened the requirements for flexible (time and space) and challenging (problem-solving and knowledge building) learning environments. (Laferrière, et. al., 2007). According to Socolick (2012), in November 2011, New York University announced plans to replace blackboard. In its place will be NYU Classes, an open-source collaborative learning system (CLS) powered by the Sakai CLE (Collaborative Learning