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Abstract: The emerging next generation ("Web 3.0") of socio-technological tool development is adding additional support for reflecting on and improving the quality of online information, communication, and action coordination. An important opportunity is that online systems can include tools that directly support participants in having higher quality and more skillful engagements. We are evaluating dialogue software features that support participants directly and "dashboard" tools that support third parties (mediators, teachers, facilitators, moderators, etc.) in supporting higher quality deliberation. In this paper we will focus on our work in educational settings (college classes) and on our development of a Facilitators Dashboard that visualizes dialogue quality indicators for use as facilitation tools or participant social awareness tools. We are particularly interested in supporting the "social deliberative skills" that interlocutors need to build mutual understanding and mutual regard in complex or contentious situations.
Keywords: Educational and Knowledge Building dialogue; deliberative skills; scaffolding; multiple representations; dashboards.
Introduction
As communication, collaboration, and knowledge building expand on the Internet the benefits and limitations of "Web 2.0" technologies become increasingly apparent [1]. The affordances of social networking, information sharing, and expansive search capabilities have lead to a dramatic increases in the quantity of information and connectivity without always supporting-and sometimes sacrificing-their quality. The emerging next generation ("Web 3.0") of socio-technological tool development adds additional support for reflecting on and improving the quality of online information, communication, and action coordination [2]. An important opportunity is that online systems can include tools that directly support participants in having higher quality and more skillful engagements. We are building and evaluating dialogue software features that support participants directly and "dashboard" tools that support third parties (mediators, teachers, facilitators, moderators, etc.) in supporting higher quality deliberation among participants. In this paper we will focus on our work in educational settings (college classes) and on our development of a Facilitators Dashboard that visualizes dialogue quality indicators for use by either third parties or participants. We are particularly interested in supporting the "social deliberative skills" that interlocutors need to build mutual understanding and mutual regard in complex or contentious situations [3] [4].
Iandoli et al. [5] give examples of tools that provide visualizations and feedback about: the who, to-whom, when, and how-much (activity level) of conversation moves;...