Can online communities compete with real life?

     I began this morning by having a wiki (did you know this means 'quick' in Hawaiian?) look at Belinda's blog post, all about wikis. I'd read the Richardson's article, and decided to find out a little more, I decided to look at some of the websites that host wikis, like wikispaces. I realised that I had just about opened Pandora's Box, when I came across this wiki that was made about wikis - so it is a website that could be added to or edited by anyone, that explained all about the fact that wikis can be contributed to and edited by anyone. Head spin!

     What really struck me about this wave of new wikis, is the extremely high level of community that is evident, and the resultant self-policing and maintenance. The fact that people share information, purely so that others can access it, not to profit from it, is inspiring. People spend their time reviewing changes made to sites such as Wikipedia, to keep the information accurate. 

     I consider myself a very community-minded person, although until recently I would not have considered an online community to be very 'authentic'. I now see that there are benefits in belonging to such a group, and that learning to be a responsibly part of this online community, may just become (dare I say it?) as important as learning how to be part of other types of communities. 

     I agree with Belinda, that as teachers we need to put in some real effort to stay up to date with the technological know-how of our students, at the very least walking along side them, if not striding out in front. This will be an ongoing challenge, that I admit is more than a little confronting, as it can never ever be ticked off the list as done! We will require constant vigilance, energy and a willingness to try new things. I think one of the best ways for us to succeed here is through our own community... whether this is an online community of teachers who share ideas, or a group who meets 'in real life' to share ideas and encouragement. What do you think, Belinda? Pencil me in for a regular coffee and techno-catchup, starting next week and ever after?


Reference
     Richardson, W. (2005). The educators guide to the read/write web. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 24-27.

Thanks for flickr for Image: 'Conexão'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56347498@N02/5429309141