Collaborative learning of computer applications in the contexts of work, learning, and play

The similarities among three independent studies, conducted by the authors, of informal learning in computer-supported collaboration in three different contexts are presented: (1) university undergraduates playing multiplayer videogames; (2) elementary school children playing "edutainment games" on a classroom computer during free choice time; and (3) adult computer users offering informal help-giving in a variety of workplace scenarios. These studies indicate that users often interacted in unexpected ways. Additionally, collaboration was both enabled and constrained by the participants' task and social goals. Issues such as the blurred distinction between play, work, and learning and design implications are discussed.