SPeL 2014 - 7th International Workshop on Social and Personal Computing for Web-Supported Learning Communities

The workshop follows the previous SPeL 2008, SPeL 2009, SPeL 2010, SPeL 2011, DULP & SPeL 2012 and SPeL 2013 workshops, held in conjunction with the SAINT 2008 conference, WI/IAT 2009 conference, DEXA 2010 conference, ICWL 2011 conference, ICALT 2012 conference and ICSTCC 2013 conference respectively. The general topic of the workshop is the social and personal computing for web-supported learning communities, focusing on emergent technologies for applied computing in education.
Web-based learning is moving from centralized, institution-based systems to a decentralized and informal creation and sharing of knowledge. Social software (e.g., blogs, wikis, social bookmarking systems, media sharing services) is increasingly being used for e-learning purposes, helping to create novel learning experiences and knowledge. In the world of pervasive Internet, learners are also evolving: the so-called "digital natives" want to be in constant communication with their peers, they expect an individualized instruction and a personalized learning environment, which automatically adapt to their individual needs. The challenge in this context is to provide intelligent and adaptive support for collaborative learning, taking into consideration the individual differences between learners.
This workshop deals with current research on collaboration and personalization issues in Web-supported learning communities, leading towards the creation of a truly social and adaptive learning environment. Its aim is to provide a forum for discussing new trends and initiatives in this area, including research about the planning, development, application, and evaluation of intelligent e-learning systems, where people can learn together in a personalized way through social interaction with other learners.