Designing for reflection: A case study with digital tabletops and digital mysteries

In this case study, the authors revisit the benefits of reflection for learning and classify three different types of reflection support as evident in the pedagogy literature: post-activity, inter-activity and part-of-activity. They present their design of a collaborative learning application (Digital Mysteries) as implemented on the emerging digital tabletop technology. The design of Digital Mysteries aims at demonstrating the potential of technology for providing support for all the identified types of reflection. The application was evaluated through 12 trials with 6 groups of students 11-14 years old in a school environment. Two of the six groups carried out repeated trials with the goal of evaluating benefits from repeated use and to overcome effects resulting from the novelty of the technology. The trials showed clear evidence of reflective interactions, caused by the application's design, which positively affected subsequent trials. The authors conclude with a number of generalized recommendations for designers of collaborative learning environments.