The theory of Instrumental Genesis (IG) accounts for the mutual evolution of artefacts and their uses, for specific purposes in specific environments. IG has been used in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) to explain how instruments are generated through the interactions of learners, teachers and artefacts in ‘downstream’ classroom activities. This paper addresses the neglected ‘upstream’ activities of CSCL design, where teachers, educational designers and educational technologists use CSCL design artefacts in specific design-for-learning situations. The paper shows how the IG approach can be used to follow artefacts and ideas back and forth on the CSCL design and implementation pathway. It demonstrates ways of tracing dynamic relations between artefacts and their uses across the whole complex of instrument-mediated activity implicated in learning and design. This has implications for understanding the communicability of design ideas and informing the iterative improvement of designs and designing for CSCL.

中文翻译：

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设计工作室中的器乐成因

工具创世论（IG）解释了人工制品及其用途的相互演变，以实现特定环境中的特定目的。IG已被用于计算机支持的协作学习（CSCL）中，以解释在“下游”课堂活动中如何通过学习者，教师和人工制品的交互来生成工具。本文针对被忽视的上游的CSCL设计活动，教师，教育设计人员和教育技术人员在特定的针对学习设计的情况下使用CSCL设计人工制品。本文展示了IG方法如何可用于在CSCL设计和实施路径上来回追踪文物和思想。它展示了在涉及学习和设计的整个仪器介导活动的整个复杂过程中，追踪人工制品及其使用之间动态关系的方法。这对于理解设计思想的可通信性，以及为CSCL设计和设计的迭代改进提供信息。