Knowledge Forum is an educational software designed to help and support knowledge building communities. Previously, the product was called Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environments (CSILE). It was designed for a short period of time by York University and continued at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, to support knowledge building pedagogies, practices and research designated in this area. In 1983, CSILE was prototyped in a university course and in 1986 it was used for the first time in an elementary school, as a full version. CSILE was considered the first networked system designed for collaborative learning (Carl Bereiter webpage). The main contributors were Marlene Scardamalia and Carl Bereiter. In 1995, the software was redesigned in accordance to World Wide Web philosophy by OISE in cooperation with Learning in Motion. The new generation was called Knowledge Forum (KF). Knowledge Forum is an asynchronous Computer mediated communication (CMC) technology that provides a shared discourse environment. It facilitates collaborative knowledge-building strategies, textual and graphical representation of ideas, and reorganization of knowledge artifacts. The product is now used in a large variety of social contexts in 19 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology (IKIT) from OISE is the research group that takes charge of future developments of Knowledge Forum.
Knowledge Forum provides students and teachers with a unique collaborative space in which to share ideas and data, organize course materials, analyze research results, discuss texts, and cite reference material. Appropriate for any ages, Knowledge Forum is used by kindergarten students as well as graduate students. Knowledge Forum allows users to create a knowledge building community. Each community creates its own Knowledge Base in which its can store notes, connect ideas, and "rise-above" previous thinking. The note-taking, searching, and organizational features of this sophisticated tool allow any type of community to build knowledge. Whether you are: - an academic community at the university… - an alliance of professionals... - or supporting a mentor ... If your goals are building your community knowledge—then Knowledge Forum is the application for you. There is currently a six month free trial.
