The underlying theme of the contributions is the social affordances of physical objects, i.e. the understanding of how technology-augmented physical objects support interactions among groups in a way more intuitive or natural than traditional computers. This collection of leading researchers investigates how artifacts may trigger rich interactions among groups, which is a central quest for researchers in CSCL.
Interactive Artifacts and Furniture Supporting Collaborative Work and Learning illustrates a turn in the field of CSCL and emphasizes an important message for a generation of CSCL designers and researchers.