Discussion: Exploring Virtual Communities

Part 1: Individual Work

Briefly explore the following virtual communities. Select one to review in depth.

Social Communities Gaming Communities Communities of Practice or Knowledge

Yahoo Groups
http://groups.yahoo.com/

Google Groups
http://groups.google.com/

My Space
http://www.myspace.com/

Gaia Online
http://www.gaiaonline.com/

Asheron's Call
http://ac.turbine.com/

Blizzplanet
http://www.blizzplanet.com/

University of Wisconsin Extension (UWEX)
http://www.uwex.edu/D2L
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning with Technology (SoTLT) Virtual Community of Scholars
Username: SOTLT
Guest password: guest

Learning Circuits Blog
http://learningcircuits.blogspot.com/

International Forum of Educational Technology and Society
http://ifets.ieee.org/

 

Part 2: Share

Review the community you selected more thoroughly. In a post to the group describe the community you selected and its audience, purpose, learning goals (if any), and the needs being met by the community.

Part 3: Respond

Respond to at least two other participants with observations or constructive comments about their reviews. Also share any general observations about the audiences, purposes, and goals of the various communities.