Blog 2-The virtual community

This week I read chapters 9 and 11 in Shumar and Renninger. I particularly liked chapter 9's description reflexive modernization. Until I read it on the pages, I had never thought about how often we turn to the internet for information about day-to-day problems. We all do it....we don't even think twice any more. If I am curious about something it is much faster and easier to get on the internet than it is to research in books. There is a tremendous amount of information on EVERYTHING on the internet, we just need to learn how to evaluate the source of the data. As a nurse, I could easily relate to the eczema and MMR debates mentioned in chapter 9. It is great for healthcare consumers to have access to information relating to their health, but sometimes they can become confused or get their hands on inaccurate information. As an instructor it is very important to teach the students which sources of information are reliable vs. hearsay/experential. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself a little when they spoke of "lurkers" in chapter 11. I never thought that this would be a term that applied to me, but when I am on the internet searching and reading information (maybe about breastfeeding) I absolutely fall into the category of "lurker". I like to read the information but I do not actively participate by posting my own comments/information.
Virtual communities impact learning and change by making tremendous amounts of information, from multitudes of sources, readily available to learners at the click of the button. As the text states this can be beneficial but it can also become overwhelming and anxiety producing. Individuals can choose to be as active in their learning as they desire. They can participate and even rise up the heirarchy of membership and governship in the site or they can learn passively by reading the information posted by other members.
The development of virtual learning communities is enabling a larger population of people to share information. Specifically, individuals in rural communities, such as Hugo, have not previously had much opportunity to formally advance their education. On-line learning, such as this OU course, has enabled many rural americans to have the opportunity to return to college and further their education. I would like to see the Practical Nursing (PN) program where I work incorporate virtual learning communities into our curriculm. While I do not believe that PN students can or should be taught exclusively on-line, there is a lot of information that could be distributed and learned in this manner. Incorporating on-line learning into our curriculum would enable students to become more active in their learning process. Rather than traditional lectures students could read, study, and communicate from home. Students could be required to come into the classroom once or twice a week to practice, discuss, and test. As many of us noticed in the previous weeks readings on-line learning communities foster critical thinking and active learning b/c the student can be required to participate rather than passively gaining information by listening to the teacher. For some students, like me, the on-line aspect will help them to break free of their "shells" and become more actively involved b/c they can take their time to formulate their responses. This may help to make the process less intimidating for the student. If nothing else incorportating some on-line aspects to the PN program would save substantial gas money for the students b/c they wouldn't need to be in the classroom for 7 hours, 5 days a week.