Review: Ullrich Dittler, Michael Kindt & Christine Schwarz (Eds.) (2007). Online-Communities als soziale Systeme. Wikis, Weblogs und Social Software im E-Learning [Online-Communities as Social Systems: Wikis, Weblogs and Social Software in E-Learning]

Abstract

The book Online-Communities as Social Systems: Wikis, Weblogs and Social Software in E-Learning by DITTLER, KINDT and SCHWARZ discusses the practice of new collaborative applications for learning and teaching in universities and schools. The authors summarize online communities from the perspective of German-speaking E-Learning researchers. The core questions under debate are whether, and how, new online platforms and communities will promote new forms of knowledge transfer and learning, and if there is a clash between free and institutionalized forms of learning. The empirical results presented here show that conflicts exist and that these arise through the use of social software in hierarchical organizations. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0801467

Keywords

• e-learning
• knowledge
• social-software
• wikis
• weblogs
• Internet