Building a Mobile Collaborative Learning Environment for the Identification and Classification of Real World Objects

This paper describes the theoretical framework and in-progress implementation of the Collaborative Identification, Retrieval, and Classification Learning Environment (CIRCLE). CIRCLE uses recent research findings in collaboration, constructivism, mobile development, and retrieval learning to develop a multi-user tool for the identification and classification of real world objects. CIRCLE supports group efforts at taxonomy building by providing a framework for data gathering in the field and scientific hypothesizing and debate in a virtual laboratory. Future plans include a pilot usability study and classroom experiments to determine the effectiveness of the approach towards learning the identification of rocks and minerals (in a geology lab), weeds (in a weed identification course), and animals (in an ecology class).