Global Connections - virtual communities.

Of course, I am writing this blog as a member of a virtual community: Centre for Learning @ Home. Twenty-five years ago, this would have seemed like some crazy science fiction movie. It took the internet, personal computers and a whole lot of technology to make this work.

It seems virtual communities are springing up everywhere. People join Facebook groups that hold similar interests. No one really has to leave home to get to a meeting.

Kip meets the love of his life on the computer (Napoleon Dynamite)

But is this all good? We seem closer to the world, but maybe we are further from our own neighbours. We have virtual friends who may or may not be our friends.

It is amazing though, how with a click of the button you can SEE what is happening where ever. If you want to see the streets of Paris, go on Google Earth. Navigating around Google Earth is amazing. Earlier this year, when studying about the Congo, I went to Google Earth to follow the Congo River. Easy and cheap way to travel. I felt more connected to Africa.






EBay opens up international garage sales. A couple years back, my Mom went crazy buying a certain kind of puppet from Australia. It was no longer being made so the sales were second hand. I had no idea there was an international community of puppet fanciers that roam the internet looking for that special one.

Of course, there are now the pandemics. The black death took years to spread from one port to another. Now disease gets carried across the world via air travel in hours.

Black Death