What is your most memorable meal?

There I was at my kitchen table- tea in one hand, Twitter in the other, Blackboard Collaborate open, earphones in, all ready for another exciting EC & I 831 class.

Did he really just ask what my most memorable meal was?? Am I in the right class? Why are we talking about meals? I thought this class was all about technology, open education, and social media? Why the heck are we talking about eating??

So who was this guy, and where was he going with this seemingly ambiguous question? He was Rick Schwier a professor in Educational Technology and Design out of the University of Saskatchewan, and I soon discovered that his question about a memorable meal was not about the meal at all, but rather about the community that was involved.

I have never doubted the importance of community, and I am a firm believer in the necessity of having people who love and support you around. What is new to me however, is the idea of these vast, authentic, online communities that exist. Prior to this school year, my online community consisted of my Facebook page and a few friends who followed me on Twitter. My online community has now expanded to include educators from around the world, and I am able to connect and collaborate with people from all over with the click of a button. I am no longer using Twitter as a way to find out which talk show Snooki will be on, but rather to meaningfully connect with others.

There is no substitute for a hug from a child or a coffee break with a colleague, but online communities have their place in education as well.

Are your online communities more important than other communities in your life?

As a society, are we becoming too reliant on our place in online communities?

Image from: http://www.codendi.com/pricing/codendi-community/codendi-community.html