Cross-community knowledge building with idea thread mapper

Research on computer-supported collaborative learning faces the challenge of extending student collaboration to higher social levels and enabling cross-boundary interaction. This study investigated knowledge building among four Grade 5 classroom communities that studied human body systems with support Idea Thread Mapper (ITM). While students in each collaborated their local (home) discourse space investigate various functions, they generated reflective syntheses— “super notes”—to share progress challenges a cross-community meta-space. As collaboration, from classrooms further used Super Talk feature ITM common problem: how do people grow? Data sources included observations videos, online within community, students’ super notes records discussion shared across classrooms, interviews. The results showed fifth-graders were able generate high quality reflect inquiry for cross-classroom sharing. Detailed analysis documented multifaceted understanding constructed understand grow, which built diverse ideas contributed enriching individual classroom. findings are discussed focusing approach as an expansive dynamic context high-level continual technology support.