Selected Research on the Study of Social Cognitive Frameworks in Communities of Educational Practice: An Annotated Bibliography Introduction This annotated

bibliography contains references to three important social cognitive frameworks. I have included references on activity theory, distributed cognition, and case-based reasoning in order to apply them to educational communities of practice. I plan to then construct ways in which technology can be applied to the communities of practice as useful artifacts by citing studies relevant to technology uses within the three frameworks and providing their combined purpose and usefulness within communities of practice. Bell, P., & Winn, W. (2000). Distributed cognitions, by nature and by design. In Jonassen, D. H., & Land, S. M. (Eds.), Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments (pp. 123145). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc. Bell and Winn do an excellent job breaking down the nature and design of the distributed cognition framework using a variety of examples. The text includes a description of the characteristics of distributed cognition, touches on the use of artifacts in learning, and reflects on impact of giving learners autonomy and power. The chapter is gives relevant examples for the use, purpose, and importance distributed strategies in instructional design. This work can be reconstructed with the Johnson article to contribute information about the ways distributed systems work within communities of practice and the relationship to educational technology. Giere, R. N., & Moffatt, B. (2003). Distributed cognition: Where the cognitive and the social merge. Social Studies of Science. 33, 301-310. DOI: 10.1177/03063127030332017 This article examines three studies: McClelland, Rumelhart, and associates, Hutchins, and Latour to highlight the distributed cognition theory in the world of science. Giere and Moffat use the first two (McClelland, et al, and Hutchins) as a basis to reinterpret the paper and case study of Latour in terms of distributed cognition systems. This article gives relevant insight into the role the distributed cognition theory plays in learning and how it can be translated into various theaters, but does not have enough depth or examples to be a sole reference. The article is fairly limited and takes the Latour study out of context in order to demonstrate distributed cognition in the realm of science. Issroff, K., & Scanlon, E. (2002). Using technology in higher education: An activity theory perspective. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 18, 77-83. DOI: 10.1046/j.02664909.2001.00213.x

Issroff and Scanlon begin by discussing the evolution of the activity system representation triangle from the simplest version to Engstrms multi mediated figure. They integrate the previously discussed information into two case studies to demonstrate how activity theory provides a framework for understanding and describing learning experiences for educational communities using technology. The article is interesting insight into how far we have come with technology based learning just in twelve years, and the way in which the programs discussed had to adapt to help their learners. Issroff and Scanlon frequently back their statements with several of the other articles in this bibliography. It will be necessary to find more current research for this project to compare and contrast how far technology in education has come. Johnson, C. M. (2001). A survey of current research on online communities of practice. Internet and Higher Education. 4(1), 45-60. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.03.031 Johnsons article defines communities of practice, provides a historical overview, and cites several case studies including those of Edmondson and Winsor. The author then goes on to describe the positives and negatives of virtual communities within communities of practice. Johnson highlights the need for studies which observe communities of practice instead of research into the ideals. This article gives a perspective on the relationship between communities of practice and its influence and integration into CBR, distributed cognition, and activity theory from a technological perspective. The article has frequent citations from other works, including many from Etienne Wenger, a founder of the concept and research in communities of practice whose article is also part of this bibliography. It would be beneficial to this research to find a study which Johnson recommends. Kesh, S. (1995). Case Based Reasoning. Journal of Systems Management. 46(4), 14-19, 57. Retrieved from ProQuest Central, Document ID: 6675221. In this article, Kesh describes the four steps in the CBR framework which are: presentation, retrieval, adaptation, validation and update. Kesh illustrates these steps in the context of artificial intelligence savings and use within corporations such as COMPAQs SMART and ESTOR and uses within systems development life cycles. While not delving into the classroom applications potential, the article is relevant to this bibliography through the connections and easy applications that could be made to education. Keshs article can also be used to give support to the findings of Kolodner, et al., and viewpoints on communities of practice within the corporate world. Kolodner, J.L., Cox, M. T., & Gonzalez-Calero, P.A. (2006). Case-based reasoning-inspired approaches to education. The Knowledge Engineering Review. 20(3), 299-303. DOI: 10.1017/S0269888906000634

Kolodner is recognized as a pioneer in the field of case based reasoning and has several books published on the subject and related subjects. This text describes two styles of education which have emerged from CBR and provides relevant examples for each. Learning By Design provides learners with real world experiences by creating concrete working devices. Goal-based Scenarios are simulation based and lend themselves to game-based learning situations. Kolodner, Cox, and Gonzalez-Calero agree that there has not been enough evaluation of these learning styles, but assessments do demonstrate learners with better reasoning, collaboration, and meta-cognition related skills. The work is relevant to this collection in terms of its advocation for CBR and the links it provides between CBR and technology, namely simulation environments. Nardi, B. A. (1996) Studying context: A comparison of activity theory, situated action models, and distributed cognition. Nardi, B. A. (Ed.), Context and Consciousness: Activity Theory and Human Computer Interaction. (pp. 35-52). MA: MIT Press. The chapter analyzes the activity theory, situated action models, and the distributed cognition approach to evaluate the tools each offers. After a description the author looks at the type of analysis suggested, areas provided contextually, way each looks at actions and thoughts on context, and equivocation between people and things. The second part of the chapter speaks to the fundamental differences between the three frameworks, and concludes with thoughts on how to decide between the three approaches. The author reinforces the work by citing major players within each framework including Vygotsky, Lave, and Hutchins. This source is appropriate when looking at the basic contexts of each model and comparing and contrasting ways in which one might use them. Wenger, E. (2000). Communities of practice and social learning systems. SAGE Social Sciences Collection. 7(2), 225-246. DOI: 10.1177/77135050840072002 Wenger is a pioneer in the field of communities of practice and has written many articles and a few books on the learning theories as they apply to the business realm. The article discusses the characteristics of social learning systems, how they apply to theories of practice, and the relationship between learners and organizations. The article describes reliance on boundaries and identities to further social learning communities and communities of practice. Learners and organizations have a co-dependent relationship which is relevant to the research in this bibliography because of the focus on the social aspects of learning. Wilson, T.D. (2009). Activity theory and information seeking. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. 42(1), 119-161. DOI: 10.1002/aris.2008.1440420111.

In the chapter on the activity theory and information seeking, Wilson begins with a succinct historical description of the origins and founders of the activity theory. This is followed by making connections with cultural-historical psychology to examine the general principles. The origins are backed by citing the research of Vygotsky and Leontev. Citing various studies and researchers, Wilson goes on to identify fields of application for the activity theory including psychology, education, and technology. From there, Wilson begins the main purpose of his writing which is to describe the activity theorys applications to information and social sciences. This is likely the most relevant citation on this list related to activity theory due to the extensive discussion of background and applications.