Engl. transl.: Structured dialogue embedded within a emerging technologies

The science of Structured Dialogic Design (SDD) is embedded within emerging technologies to develop a new, scientifically grounded methodology in online distance education. The chapter begins with an introduction of the SDD process. It then discusses current applications of wikis in educational contexts and their shortcomings. Examples in which the SDD was embedded within emerging technologies and wikis emerging technologies in distance education in particular are used to draw attention to the benefits introduced by the application of SDD as a tool to structure the learning process and facilitate commitment, endurance, and intentionality of learning.

Distance education virtual environments offer incredible opportunities for educators to engage learners in a variety of learning experiences. At the same time, “unstructured” environments pose new challenges (see chapter 14). Furthermore, some technologies (e.g., wikis) have an asynchronous character, while others (e.g., Multi-user Virtual Environments such as the one described in the chapter 15) are synchronous. Without the classic teacher-student roles (see chapter 3), it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide basic instruction and guidance. Distance educators need to explore new ways of teaching (chapter 2) by capitalizing upon the multi-faceted nature of new media, rather than by simply translating existing face-to-face techniques into the new media. Theories of education cannot simply be transferred in new learning environments. Since emerging technologies for education transcend academic disciplines (chapter 1), it is also necessary that we develop new theories of education and learning that account for di- verse constraints and challenges. The SDD approach offers a theoretical grounding that is promising. SDD has recently been used in the con- text of distance education for learners to explore solutions to societal issues and concerns. However, the method has not yet been tested for diverse types of content and learning: our work has focused on complex societal problems while traditional content areas such as physics, biology, economics, and mathematics have not yet been investigated. The SDD approach is particularly useful for problems that are complex and for which learners might have different perspectives and possibly conflicting interpretations. However, as discussed above, the method also faces shortcomings. In the future, it is desirable that the method is tested in diverse educational settings.