Process versus Product: A Perspective on Tools for Communal and Informal Electronic Learning

This article explores new paradigms for the use of computers in learning. Two concepts crucial to the development of qualitatively new kinds of computer-based learning environments are identified: the importance of focusing on the underlying process rather than just the product of a creative effort; and the importance of the computer's ability to record, represent and communicate that underlying process. We discuss the cognitive, pedagogical, and sociological issues relevant to the creation of learning environments in five domains, along with examples of specific possibilities in each: 1) Empowering environments. How can we design computer-based tools that both promote creativity and aid the development of artistic discipline? 2) Games. How can the motivational aspects of arcade-style games be transferred to more fertile learning environments? 3) Communication. How can we break away from the fundamentally linear structuring of ideas necessary in print-based communication and create tools to aid the representation and comprehension of nonlinear ideas and arguments? 4) Writing. How can we create tools to help authors move from the chaos of pre-articulate ideas to the order of a polished document? 5) Education. How can we create a computer-based system that “mirrors” students' thought processes, helping them to reflect on those processes and thereby to improve their metacognitive skills?