The LiNC Project has been well documented and much of this documentation is available through the internet. Instead of duplicating items that already exist, links are provided below to three of the key pages of the project. Following these links is a brief history of the group in the development of this class project and these resulting web pages.
The project began with a thorough review of the LiNC Project web pages and associated references. The web pages give a brief overview of much of the early phases of the project as well as downloadable papers that have been published or are being considered for publication regarding many aspects of the project: its evolution, theoretical base, as well as software considerations. Much of our knowledge of the current state of the project came from interviews with members from three groups within the project team: programmers, evaluators, instructors. All of these people donated several hours of their time to discuss the LiNC Project with us and we offer them our most hearty thanks and sincere appreciation.
The Programmers. Bo Begole and Philip Isenhour are two of the group's many software developers and were very accommodating to our needs. Both Bo and Philip met with the group one afternoon and demonstrated the software utilized in the LiNC project, both past and current, as well as discussing theoretical and logistical concerns of the choices of software. From them we found:
Bo and Philip were enthusiastic about the possibilities of the project and wished that more of the software was in a condition such that it could be utilized currently. Their current focus is implementing advanced functionality in the shared "notebook" aspect of the software so that it truly capitalizes on the unique capabilities of the medium, rather than being an electronic replica of an existent artifact. There was some question as to whether they could even get the notebook to work during our session, which it did not, and some discussion about the great number of programmers that have come through the program ensued. The large number of programmers associated with the project that have come and left due to degree requirments and interests seems to have led to some confusion and frustration about which aspects of the project have been developed, updated, or even deleted.
The Evaluator. Jim Eales has recently joined the LiNC project as an evaluator and discussed primarily "collaborative learning theory" with the group in relation to his work on the project. Based in the work of Piaget and Vygotsky, collaborative learning is based on the idea that learning is a naturally social act in which the participants talk among themselves and it is through talk that learning occurs. Each person brings to a learning situation their own set of beliefs and understanding about a situation and it is through shared discourse that new meanings are derived.
Jim shared with us some of the history of the project and its development from the use of scenarios. Hours of videotape and several interviews were held with instructors at the beginning of the project to create scenarios that described or explained the act of teaching science in the classroom as it existed. Literally, hundreds of scenarios were designed which propelled much of the early prototype. Jim Eales referred us to George Chin to discuss these early scenarios; however, despite earlier contact and Jim's recommendation, George Chin was not available throughout the semester for discussion.
Jim's recent work, which has just begun, illustrates some of the weaknesses of earlier attempts to create "virtual" classrooms electronically. Logistical problems such as noncorresponding class scheduling eliminated almost any attempt at synchronous attempts at virtual classrooms between different schools. The original cartoon-like graphics have also been discarded for shared whiteboards and videoconferencing. Many of the students are already familiar with web browsers and chat rooms and demand a high level of sophistication in order to keep their interest and thus promote the desired "shared discourse" rather than novelty and boredom. He is most excited about his work begun in evaluating exercises proposed by one of the middle school teachers who has just started group projects in her classes in which the students will design "virtual roller coasters" and similar activities that will be generated from research done on the web and through contacts in the community. This is an elementary step towards the original concept of collaboration in a virtual environment; however, as discovered with the programmers, much of the software's original functionality is not yet possible.
The Instructors. One afternoon, two of the project's four classroom teachers, took time out of their busy schedule amongst faculty meetings and after-school help to discuss the project. We are deeply indebted to Suzan Mauney and Mark Freeman.
We met Suzan in her classroom at Blacksburg Middle School. Suzan described the many meetings and discussions that the instructors went through as well as recounting some of the early videotaping and scenario building from the beginning of the project. To date, besides some minor tinkering, the hardware and software for the LiNC project have not been fully implemented in Suzan's classroom; although, she hopes to begin a long-term project beginning in December. Previous attempts to use the software in class have met with frustration and disappointment and this has developed a sense of caution in the teachers, who have developed "contingency plans" in case these problems arise again.
Although space is a premium in her classroom, a typical problem of many classrooms, Suzan did have the five computers for the LiNC project available for the students to use in the coming weeks. New video cameras were just installed on the five cameras a few days before we arrived. Despite the lack of space, Suzan related that five computers is not enough to keep an entire class engaged. Her experience with utilizing computers in the classroom has taught her that two students can stay relatively engaged by a single computer; however, three or more students do not work effectively at one computer. The average class of 25 students cannot be broken down into pairs and stay focused with only five computers, and larger groups do not work well. It has also been her experience that computer labs have not been utilized effectively in the school due to lack of knowledgeable staffing to help with classes that may encounter difficulties while using the technology.
Mark Freeman, from Blacksburg High School, had just installed the latest version of the software on the computers in his classroom the day of our visit and was planning to begin a physics project utilizing the software the following day. He was hoping to promote projects with open-ended topics that were researched and proposed by the students themselves. Mark will provide a web page for the students that will contain basic information regarding the project which can be updated throughout the course of the semester. After checking the web page, the students will utilize the "notebook" software to catalog text-based information, including URLs and e-mail notes, in the form of an outline. Mark demonstrated the notebook software as it exists now using one of Suzan's computers. Unfortunately, the notebook is still severely limited in terms of storage format and security--there are no individual pages. This lesson is a first step, however, both in utilizing the software and in incorporating aspects of collaborative learning in an electronic environment. Mark's demonstration was key in helping to develop the "Current Scenario" as presented in the Group Project. It is a scenario that is based on the lesson plan he hoped to begin the following day.
When asked what aspect of the project the teachers were most excited about, they related the possibility for their students to have experience with technology. They realize that the system barely functions as more than a web browser and electronic note pad; however, it was their desire that their students be exposed to technology, even if it is technology readily available commercially. It is their belief that their students know of but have little experience with using computers and current technology productively in their studies. Again, the problems with labs in schools and the limited number of computers in classrooms was discussed. They admit that their current proposed lesson plans utilizing the LiNC software are merely electronic reproductions of current activities. They already incorporate collaboration and do not see their role of teacher moving toward the proposed role of "facilitator" at the current state of development. At this early stage, not much emphasis was placed upon the collaborative aspects as envisioned in the original project, including community involvement. These goals, however, can still be met as the project's technology is improved to meet these broader objectives.