Using social networks as a way of communication will reduce the transactional distance that Moore defines as psychological and communications spaces between learners and instructors (Moore, 1993).
As online communication rapidly links our personal and work life, a new community is emerging so new venues of communication with the community are also developing. "The use of online discussion groups offers a relatively new avenue through which the learner can take an active role in the learning process." (Larkin-Hein, 2001) Blog usage has dramatically risen over the past couple of years, connecting information and knowledge of an individual to a global community audience who can respond. Social networks such as Facebook and MySpace can bring students and instructors closer together. This breaks the ice among students in an online classroom and helps them to work in a friendlier atmosphere. Newer programs like Twitter are akin to instant messaging to the global community. All these services are cheap or free and easy to use and are direct descendents of telephone calls, mail, and letters to the editor. For this reason, this project will rely heavily on these technologies.
In online learning, many challenges may occur either for students or for instructors. Maintaining the sense of community can be the hardest challenge because instructors can't rely on traditional methods to sustain the community. Some challenges are beyond the control of the instructors, but instructors can use different technologies to mitigate these challenges. Social networks can be an excellent delivery method to reduce the feeling of loneliness or isolation and to increase the sense of community in an online graduate classroom. The effective implementation of social networks can help build a great community.
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