Title: Communication, communities and shaping the future of education as online discussion board moderators

Authors: José W.I.M. Van den Akker

Addresses: Curtin University, P.O. Box 7093, Karawara W.A. 6152, Australia

Abstract: The question this article tries to answer is who and what is ultimately shaping the future, and what place e-learning including tools such as discussion boards play in that scenario. Not only the globalising context of e-learning but also online discussion board moderators' positions are considered, together with the meme-systems that influence people's thinking and their behaviours. Mindfulness and a focus on agency is seen as encouraging, but the focus on educational performance is considered limiting in terms of community building processes with computer-mediated communication as a tool. Thinking carefully and critically about communication as something other to information and as online communication as something equated with distance thus with longer feedback loops appears necessary. Learning and developing community in virtual context is clearly not as simple as developing more complex thinking and more memory. An integral and 'sensory-sensitive' perspective to complement existing reductionist views on, and agendas associated with e-learning systems seems necessary.

Keywords: e-learning; electronic learning; community building; ethics; soul; computer mediated communication; CMC; energy experiences; web based communities; online communities; virtual communities; online discussion boards; discussion board moderators; education future.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2014.060357

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2014 Vol.10 No.2, pp.232 - 253

Published online: 17 May 2014 *

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