Online Communities
What are some of the negative things that could happen in an online community such as Moose Crossing? How could these things be prevented and/or dealt with? What do you think is the most important thing students will gain from programs like MOOSE?

Professional Online Communities
http://www.nyu.edu/classes/keefer/waoe/waoej.html
http://www.merlot.org/Home.po?discipline=Teacher_Education
http://ti2.sri.com/tappedin/
http://www.e-learninghub.com/resources/

Pro’s       versus       Con’s
express their ideas
 learning tool
community learning
teach and model
infinite possibilities
recorded and monitored
just to talk
Identity theft
curriculum is not clearly defined
technology support
Community viruses

Importance of Communication
Communication online allows for the rapid transfer of ideas from people outside of your direct communication lines.
The sharing of ideas fosters learning and understanding for the active participants.
The volume and potential numbers of people involved in any online community can ensure a broad yet focused base for learning and sharing.

Watch Out For:
Downtime: viruses, power outages, software issues, and hardware issues.
Monitor the area, safeguards are only protective when in place.
Corporate takeovers, spamming and monitoring the area for business profit (may also help in funding issues).