Learning in Cyberspace: An Educational View of Virtual Community

Abstract

Learning is the creation of knowledge through the transformation of experience and transcends the particular institutional context that society has reserved for that purpose (Cayley, 1992; Illich, 1970; Kolb, 1984). It is also important not to confuse learning exclusively with school knowledge, for knowledge comes in many forms and for different purposes (Barnes, 1988; Dewey, 1938). Using Kolb's view on learning, if we substitute a particular type of change for transformation then change becomes a condition for learning. People participate in learning settings from birth onward. They move from setting to setting such as the home, playground, school, service groups, and church, and over the years add work settings and other leisure activities. Our interests center around creating and conducting inquiry on such learning environments. This particular focus includes both formal school settings, nonschool settings (museums, science centers, public spaces, and the Internet), and the points of intersection between these environments. These interests combine work in both real and virtual, online and off-line spaces. Understanding the nexus of learning and community relies upon an analysis of each context, so as to ascertain the expectations of participants and the task demands of the environment. We accordingly recognize the diversity of virtual environments, and also the interconnections that exist between online and off-line communities. What connects communities, virtual or otherwise, are the possibilities offered for learning; it is not just “school-based” or specifically an educational institution's private preserve.

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