Cómo la cultura digital (TICS) afecta el desarrollo cognitivo y los paradigmas de aprendizaje

The main aim of this research project is to show how collective knowledge is developed by means of the active participation of members of a group or community who interact virtually. Such knowledge is the result of the interaction between group members, and demands new cognitive challenges resulting in new learning paradigms. These aspects have been assessed by this research project after analyzing fieldwork results.The concept of collaborative learning is based on the idea that knowledge can be achieved through the interaction and cooperation of individuals. It is motivated by the need of informationin this fast-moving world and the responsibility of the agents involved in mutually helping one another, thus arriving at a collaborative knowledge which is more complete than individual knowledge. These so called “Communities of Inquiry” are opposed to the traditional (and still used) “encyclopaedic individual knowledge”. The objective is to achieve deeper collective knowledge as the result of constant inquiry. Technological advances and the internet are facilitating resources for this interaction, which is asynchronous and ubiquitous. This collaborative / collective knowledge is participatory and transformative, does not go by institutional structures, it is mobile and a process that nurtures from the social and technological input. Collaborative learning (CoI) at higher education level is characterised by the creation and distribution of roles amongst its members (members and tutor) so as to orderly achieve the objectives set. The objective of the online field work designed for this research was to show the incidence of a CoI in the achievement of an educational experience that embraces cognitive and social domains as well as tutoring. In a CoI, the social paradigm involves the affective domain, and communication and group cohesion areas. Group identity is the result of group collaboration links and not of interpersonal links. The cognitive domain refers to events that lead up to the exploration of different sources of knowledge, to their integration and finally to problem solving responses. Finally the Tutor component centres on planning and organising, give instructions and guidance.The final results of the online field work (6 members) showed the development of shared and collective knowledge versus an incomplete knowledge development in the case of the individual acting as a control group (one member). The presence of the tutor is also different in both cases: the CoI showed a permanent intention of consulting the tutor and this is visible in the changes theyi ntroduce as they go along, whereas the individual work in a constant state of isolation.