By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Using Discussion Webs to Develop an Academic Community of LearnersThis is a good article, even if the authors leave the term 'discussion web' undefined throughout (I assume they mean a discussion board with a linking capacity). Essentially, it is an analysis of the use of online discussion in a teacher course with an eye toward the development of community. Mostly I'm uncomfortable with this sort of analysis - 17 people dicussing things in isolation hardly seems like a community, and when things like 'chit chat' are classified as 'failures' I think the analysis is missing the point. More...



