Handheld-Mediated Communication to Support the Effective Sharing of Meaning in Joint Activity

This paper reports the results of a laboratory study of a proposed solution to the problem of coordinating entry into collaborative activity while protecting the privacy and control of individuals over small-scale devices. The particular set of design requirements we work with are abstracted away from prior work on the constraints and affordances of a middle school teaching/learning setting. We implement on handheld devices a proposed functionality, Look, intended to enable a side assistant to see what is happening in an activity without interrupting that activity. The question is whether Look is sufficient to allow effective comprehension of the situation and effective action based on that comprehension. To evaluate the success of this functionality, we draw on preexisting psycholinguistic/CSCL (computer supported collaborative learning) theory on (1) shared visual spaces and (2) overhearer comprehension. The associated experimental paradigm increases the occurrence of the interpersonal challenges we wish to study over their spontaneous rate in the classroom. Our variant of the paradigm provides preliminary evidence that our design is viable. It also extends the paradigm by casting light on which elements of the situation were responsible for results in prior experiments, and which may be further amenable to technological manipulation