EDC Center for Children and Technology
(TR8) Technology's Role in Restructuring for Collaborative Learning

The problem of supporting collaborative learning is placed in the framework of the organizational restructuring of schools. The paper contrasts the organizational impact of two technology systems in terms of: l) the physical location in the school, 2) the curriculum and 3) how time is scheduled. Considered first is a class of computer systems for which the function is individualization. In contrast, an environment called Earth Lab is described. Examples of its use in one school illustrate the way that collaborative learning is supported in the three categories: location, curriculum and time. In conclusion, the complex relationship between school restructuring and the implementation of technology for schools is addressed.