This section features the two articles from this issue of the
Co-Inquiry Journal:

DOCUMENTATION — COMMUNICATION — ACTION:
CO-INQUIRY MEETINGS FOR FACILITATED INTERCHANGE

Shareen Abramson

Throughout life, meaning develops through interchange with people, objects, events and ideas. A dynamic process for conveying ideas, the concept of interchange draws from theories of communication in education, social sciences, the arts and humanities, human services and computer sciences. Interchange employs perception, emotion, action and thinking to construct meaning in a language of signs and symbols. Filled with relationships, development and learning, interchange represents the story of a lifetime. In society, the interchanging of ideas translates into knowledge, commitment to others, cultural and economic development and innovation.

Just as in personal relationships and experience, professional interchange is ever-present in the school, organization, service agency or business. In these settings, meetings provide a forum for group interchange to discuss information, resources and problems. Unfortunately, in some circumstances, after much time devoted to talking, follow-up actions are not always be taken. Consequently, issues can remain unresolved.

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THE CO-INQUIRY BLOG:

A SEMIOTIC TOOL FOR DOCUMENTING
THE EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

Shareen Abramson
Otto Benavides
Gary Rogers
Chris Ratzlaff

Online journals mark a fundamental shift in electronic communication. The immediate popularity of these web logs or blogs is a tribute to their versatility and ease of use: “Blogs have been hailed as democratizing—any literate person can self-publish content in a blog” (Herring, Kouper, Scheidt and Wright, 2004). A mechanism for collaborative interchange, the blog is a system for multi-media communication among the virtual community.

In blogs, a chronology of information, events, experiences and stories unfold in text, music, photos, graphics, video and sound. An aggregate of “metadata” dense with meaning (Karger & Quan, 2005), the blog is a catalyst for new perspectives and innovative ideas. The blog’s interactive design compounds its value for dissemination. By actively soliciting comments and links to other blogs, an individual blog connects to an expanding network of related blogs and other web resources. To maximize communication around shared interests, individuals may choose to join a smaller group with a particular identity or purpose. For the purpose of social networking, a blog group may consist of friends or classmates. A work-related or professional group can be supported in a similar manner.

Although a personal blog does not belong in the classroom, blog technology has significant applications as an educational tool for both students and teachers. Blogging can be a means for students to work together on projects and other group assignments. Adapted for professional use, such as exchanging classroom ideas and practices, dialoguing on educational questions and problems, and linking to the latest research, the blog’s vast educational applications for professional development becomes apparent (Colgan, 2005; Poling, 2005). A number of sites already serve educators, for example:
http://www.novemberlearning.com/blogs/alannovember/
http://www.ebn.weblogger.com/
http://www.essentialblog.org/
All of these sites attest to the benefits of the blog for promoting communication, information-sharing and collaboration among educators, parents and students.

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The author can be contacted at: shareena@coinquiry.org.

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