Distributed learning: Educating and assessing extended cognitive systems

Knowledge-building in an environment mediated by digital technology: A case study in higher education

The advancement of technology in recent years seems to be prompting a re-ontologising of the world. Digital technology is transforming the educational spaces we inhabit, as well as our way of processing information. Although there are already numerous studies that have addressed this technological reality, only a handful have done so from a theoretical perspective. That is why we present research that seeks to reinforce the latest theoretical contributions for understanding how modern technology may be affecting the way in which knowledge is built. Based on the latest research in social constructivism, this is a qualitative study designed to contribute to the creation of a specific theoretical framework for an onlife world. An ill-structured task and a semi-structured interview were used to observe the use of the thinking skills that enable us to build knowledge and the relationship between them. The results show that the ways of building knowledge are changing, as digital technology fosters the use of higher-order thinking skills that, furthermore, operate in a chaotic, complex, and unpredictable manner. In conclusion, this study upholds the notion that the ways of building knowledge are changing, but we still need more empirical contributions to create a generally accepted theoretical construct for explaining how we build knowledge through digital technology.

Varieties of Artifacts: Embodied, Perceptual, Cognitive, and Affective

The primary goal of this essay is to provide a comprehensive overview and analysis of the various relations between material artifacts and the embodied mind. A secondary goal of this essay is to identify some of the trends in the design and use of artifacts. First, based on their functional properties, I identify four categories of artifacts co-opted by the embodied mind, namely (a) embodied artifacts, (b) perceptual artifacts, (c) cognitive artifacts, and (d) affective artifacts. These categories can overlap and so some artifacts are members of more than one category. I also identify some of the techniques (or skills) we use when interacting with artifacts. Identifying these categories of artifacts and techniques allows us to map the landscape of relations between embodied minds and the artifactual world. Second, having identified categories of artifacts and techniques, this essay then outlines some of the trends in the design and use of artifacts, focusing on neuroprosthetics, brain-computer interfaces, and personalization algorithms nudging their users toward particular epistemic paths of information consumption.

Misplacing memories? An enactive approach to the virtual memory palace

In this paper, we evaluate the pragmatic turn towards embodied, enactive thinking in cognitive science, in the context of recent empirical research on the memory palace technique. The memory palace is a powerful method for remembering yet it faces two problems. First, cognitive scientists are currently unable to clarify its efficacy. Second, the technique faces significant practical challenges to its users. Virtual reality devices are sometimes presented as a way to solve these practical challenges, but currently fall short of delivering on that promise. We address both issues in this paper. First, we argue that an embodied, enactive approach to memory can better help us understand the effectiveness of the memory palace. Second, we present design recommendations for a virtual memory palace. Our theoretical proposal and design recommendations contribute to solving both problems and provide reasons for preferring an embodied, enactive account over an information-processing treatment of the memory palace.