Papers in PDF format

succeed, is also social in origin, including the socially-constructed definition of success itself. To succeed,
after all, is to be accepted and regarded by others as a success.
The ideal learning environment is therefore a committed group, that is, a group of individuals with a shared
passion (or at least an interest). Such a group establishes internal values which define success as movement
towards attaining that common interest. This is the original idea behind schools. Such a school (as in a school
of thought) is a community of strivers who seek a common set of goals. The members of the group reinforce
each other’s successful learning behavior. For example, a student violinist who must practice hours each day
on her own has a very difficult struggle. But if she is a member of a school, she shares in the determination
and enthusiasm of her fellow students. For such a group, practicing several hours each day is normal behavior.
From Good to Better
Good CBT programs emulate many of the most educative aspects of social interaction, but minimize many of
the distractive effects. For example, the computer acts much like a person. It presents information, offers
chances to interact, and responds to these interactions in a positive way. On the other hand, computers don’t
criticize, and trainees feel free to make mistakes without the prospect of public humiliation. But broader
interaction – interaction with a wider group, is severely curtailed. Furthermore, interactive CBTs emulate
active task-based learning by engaging the learner in simple-- although not directly related -- tasks.
Clearly, a good computer-based teaching system should maintain the successful aspects of interactive
multimedia CBTs. Beyond that, however, it should add features of sociality and practicality – of group
interaction and actual practice – to enhance teaching effectiveness to a new, much higher level. To accomplish
these aims requires a special approach, particularly if the community of users and the teaching programs they
will use are scattered across the Internet or corporate Internet, requires a special approach to software.
An ideal computerized training system would therefore retain the best of current systems, but would also
encourage group learning activities, even if the members of a group were scattered over the surface of the
planet. At the same time, there would be an emphasis on doing as an integral part of learning. Tasks would be
close simulations of the actual tasks to be learned. For greater flexibility, such active learning opportunities
could also be distributed, so that an interest group of learners could simultaneously and cooperatively work on
a collection of related tasks, no matter where the tasks were located. Finally, participation in the experience
should not be limited by what kind of computer the prospective learner happens to be using.
The Java Framework
Praxis Technical Group, Inc. has developed a Java-based framework technology for cooperative learning and
task sharing over the Internet or Intranets.. A prototype of this system has been completed and is now
undergoing testing. The framework enables complete and complex group interactions, including the sharing of
data from distributed sources, and the sharing of actual experiences or simulations in real time, over the
Internet or internal corporate Intranets.
Any authorized machine that has a Java enabled operating system or can run a Web browser, can participate in
the framework. Within the system, users may join workgroups, or work alone, and may request a variety of
types of textual, graphical and multimedia data from any number of sources in the system. Groups of users may
view and discuss or manipulate the data collectively, with or without pre-defined roles, or may work alone.
Information searches are carried out by an Internet-type search engine, which transparently collects
information from any or all sources on the system.
The only software required on client machines is a Java run-time environment provided in most Web browsers
and soon to be incorporated into most operating systems. The Praxis framework and associated client and
server software can thus be automatically updated over Intranet or Internet while the system is running. Thus
all software changes and upgrades may be automatically reflected on each server without the necessity of
installation of new software. This dramatically reduces maintenance costs. Furthermore, any computer with