Abstract
IN THIS PAPER, we suggest that self-organized learning can be supported through emergent and informal Web technologies and propose that these technologies can be used to encourage similar practices in higher education. Self-organized learning aims at increasing individual control over instructional functions through a process that involves recording thoughts, returning, and reflecting on thoughts, and then engaging in learning conversations with self and others about one's own learning. These types of learning conversations are visible in the informal community surrounding personal Webpublishing. Our purpose is to discuss specific practices that support such interactions and show how the integration of Webpublishing in higher education can increase learner emancipation and independence.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS Priya Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Instructional Systems Program at The Pennsylvania State University. Before moving to academia, she worked in the corporate sector in India and the U.S. for over five years designing, developing, and evaluating multimedia training and instruction. Her current research focuses on the enabling role of technologies in fostering reflection and self-organized learning and on techniques and strategies to support such learning in higher education.
Sebastian Fiedler holds a Diplom Psychologie from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, and a Master of Education in Instructional Technology from the University of Georgia, USA. Mr. Fielder currently is a researcher for the Centre for Social Innovatio [http://www.zsi.at] in Vienna, Austria, and an independent human-centered design consultant for corporate clients. He occasionally lectures in the Media Pedagogy track of the Media and Communications program at the University of Augsburg, Germany, where he is completing a dissertation project on how course environments can be altered and transformed with personal and collaborative Webpublishing tools and practices.
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Sharma, P., Fiedler, S. Supporting self-organized learning with personal Webpublishing technologies and practices. J. Comput. High. Educ. 18, 3–24 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03033411
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03033411