InteractiveSchoolWall: A Digitally Enriched Learning Environment for Systemic-Constructive Informal Learning Processes at School

In this article we describe a computer-based novel learning space for teaching and learning at school which digitally extends learning spaces in a new way. We implemented the InteractiveSchoolWall (ISW), a presentation and interaction platform that is publicly accessible in the lobby of a secondary school in Northern Germany. Interactive navigation and self-determined information structuring allow for active learning in an informal way. The pedagogical implications of this presentation and interaction tool are explained with respect to the requirements of Open Learning. The technical construction of the ISW follows the logic of a novel cloud space, which allows the use of personalized and semantically enriched multimedia objects. The ISW consists of an arbitrary number of multi-touch screens running specific applications such as science tools, educational games and semantic modeling systems. We also present an evaluation using log-file analysis and questionnaires for the students of the school to gather information about the use and the affinity for the applications running on the ISW. The results are discussed regarding the further strategy for the ISW. Finally we discuss to what extent the interactive structure of the ISW encourages the reflective handling of complex knowledge.