The integration of synchronous communication across dual interaction spaces

Dual interaction spaces—that combine text chat with a shared graphical work area— have been developed in recent years as CSCL applications to support the synchronous construction and discussion of shared artifacts by distributed small groups of students. However, the simple juxtaposition of the two spaces raises numerous issues for users: How can objects in the shared workspace be referenced from within the chat? How can users track and comprehend all the various simultaneous activities? How can participants coordinate their multifaceted actions? We present three steps toward integration of activities across separate interaction spaces: support for deictic references, implementation of a history feature and display of social awareness information.