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The origins of CSILE (Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environments) are in research on knowledge building, on the nature of expertise, and on the socio-cultural dynamics of innovation. CSILE was designed to (a) make advanced knowledge processes accessible to all participants, including children,(b) foster the creation and continual improvement of public artifacts or community knowledge (Scardamalia, 2002), and (c) provide a community space for carrying out this knowledge building work collaboratives. Its evolution to the second-generation knowledge building environment known as Knowledge Forum, its distinctive character, and the theoretical ideas behind it will become clearer in the descriptions that follow.