Observations Supported
This morning I received a notification from the community I monitored for Assignment 1.2.
One of my observation of the community was to question whether it had reached the end of its life cycle. Today, the moderator was asking just that.
“It has been really quiet in here of late and I wonder if the community has reached full maturity now and no longer requires this type of discussion forum activity? Nowadays I find myself more often than not putting aside time to participate in a one hour online live event that is relevant to me in my work rather than spending much time in asynchronous (any time) for a (community) such as this one. Is that true for you too?”
In the few hours since the post there have been two replies.
1) “The EDNA Groups are really great communities, but it has sort of run off the rails. Some contributors use the areas for show and tell and not for discussions and learning. While others can’t support what they believe in. As I have said many time, “If we all agree we will learn nothing”. I really believe while this place is used in the way is has been it may be for the best that it closes. Like most adult learning no one wants to learn they just want to tell everyone what they know and expect other to gush with awe. Thanks for the memories”
2) “I think the difference is, we used to have a moderator who stimulated discussion, and now we don’t.”
Both responses support my observations in Assignment 1.2 and the rationale behind some of my suggestions for the design of an e-learning community in Assignment 2. While it’s sad to see this particular community facing closure it’s also been interesting timing to see the theory I’ve been studying in this journey turning into reality.
