The CSCL Alpine Rendez-Vous
The Alpine CSCL Rendez-vous 2007, January 21-26th, is an initiative of the Kaleidocope CSCL SIG to launch a sustainable series of scientific meetings. The Rendez-vous is not a conference, but a set of autonomous events organized at the same place at the same time: the rendez-vous of our community.
Workshop will share breaks (coffee, ski or meals). The program includes 8 workshops, 4 on each side of the week. At the middle of the week (Tuesday 18:30 till Wednesday 19:00) will be the Rendez-Vous day: a set of activities for the CSCL community organized by Kaleidoscope CSCL SIG. Each workshop includes a break from 12:30 till 16:30 during which participants may enjoy the ski resort, relax in the pool or whatever. The weather forecast for that these dates is excellent.
Final report from The CSCL Alpine Rendez-Vous: Download 
Workshop 6: Networked Learners and Networked Learning
Venue: Villars, in Switzerland
Wednesday January 25th 2006, at 19:00 and will end on Friday 27th. at 12:30 (ERT-meeting 12.30-13.30).
Context: The invitation stems from our European Research Team (ERT) within Kaleidoscope on “Conditions for Productive Networked Learning Environments” www.ell.aau.dk/index.php , and the Doctoral School on Human Centered Informatics www.hci.hum.aau.dk at Aalborg University The objective of the ERT on Networked Learning is to develop and elaborate theoretical concepts and understandings of CSCL emphasizing the use of cross-cultural comparative approaches of case studies conducted in different concrete higher educational settings and concerning existing practices.
The ERT adopts a socio-cultural based approach drawing upon and confronting the following established theoretical perspectives:
- Social theory of learning
- Cultural-historical approach to learning
- Actor-network learning theory
- Experiential learning
From this perspective, the ERT has been concerned with the following aspects/study objects:
- Design of networked learning environments (technological functionalities, design features, pedagogical design and affordances)
- Collaboration / Networks / Communities of practice
- Ethics / Trust
- Individual – group – community – identity
- Scaffolding (type and degree of structure)
Scope: The workshop focus on the key themes of computer supported collaborative learning organised as networked learning. The workshop will address the following issues:
- networked learners: challenging teaching and learning
- networked technologies, web 2.0
- pedagogical design
- dialogue and dialogicality
- space and place
- ethics, and
- networked learning in a global perspective
The social world has been described as a networked society, a society in which the digital networks that help to link and organize society are seen as having a key influence on the character of modern sociality (Castells 1996, 2001; Jones et. al. 2006). Networked individualism is dialectically related both to an increasing global interdependency and a development of social forms at the local and individual level that allow greater freedom. In this view network patterns are the characteristic of an emergent society and are likely to affect education and learning in significant ways. Researchers in networks and networking have moved away from a conception of networks that relied on a notion of random networks to more structured forms, such as scale free networks. Scale free networks suggest network forms that have a history and developmental process over time and a clustering that suggests implicit systems of power related to that developmental process.
A key question for networked learning is how these new ways of thinking about relationships may affect pedagogical design of education and learning. This symposium brings together a number of perspectives interested in applying the idea of networked learning and exploring the implications of this approach for education and learning.
Contributions to the symposium will be based on papers send in for the workshop, project descriptions from Ph.D.students, and chapters / case studies to the book: Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Jones, Lindström (Eds.) (Forthcoming): Analysing Networked Learning Practices in Higher Education and Continuing Professional Development.
Special invited guest who will act as discussant through the workshop:
Mike Sandbothe, Aalborg University (http://www.kommunikation.aau.dk/ansatte/sabo/index.html)
Participants: The workshop will involve about 20 participants, mixing members of the ERT “Conditions for Productive Learning in Networked Learning Environments”, and invited researchers and ph.d. students.
Format: The workshop will start on Wednesday January 25th 2006, at 16.30 and will end on Friday 27th. at 15:00. The daily timetable include a break from 12:30 till 16:30 during participants are free to ski, sleep, work or whatever. Those interested in taking part should send an abstract of 2 pages (or chapter/case study/Ph.D. project) via e-mail to the workshop contact person 15th. of September. Notification to participants will be given by September 31st. The registration deadline will be October 15th. And same for payment of participation (see below)
Space is limited and, therefore, we will have to select participants based on the submitted abstracts and letters of interest.
Organizers: Lone Dirckinck-Holmfeld (Aalborg University) and Chris Jones (Open University)
Contact: Workshop coordinator: Lone Dirckinck-Holmfeld (lone@hum.aau.dk). For organisational issues, you may contact Florence Colomb (Florence.Colomb@epfl.ch), tel: +41 21 693 22 75 or hannepc@hum.aau.dk, tel: +45 96359083
Costs: The cost per participant will be 300 Euros all included (registration, 2 hotel nights, full board). 300 Euros is an estimate; the exact amount will be expressed in Swiss francs. Since it is full board accommodation, the cost for staying in a double room is not much lower (280 Euros). Payment for participation in the workshop has to be due before 15th of October.
The place: The workshop will occur in Switzerland, in Villars (www.villars.ch), a village located at 90 km from Geneva airport (about 2 h by train). The closest main city, Lausanne, has excellent train connections with Paris, Lyon, Torino or Germany. The Geneva airport (www.gva.ch) has many worldwide connections including several low-cost companies operating over Europe. The hotel includes an indoor pool, fitness, sauna and is close to the cable car, ice skating, etc. The hotel web site is www.eurotel-victoria.ch/villars/SiteVillars.html
