It is really interesting following the different threads that developed in thissession. When I read about knowledge construction I thought of it as amono-construction with a single focus. I felt frustrated that we had somany e-tivities to complete that split our attention but it is by multitaskingthrough the discussions that we have constructed knowledge.

Online socialization

The efforts of software and system builders to make the use of networkedtechnologies easier create the illusion that technological systems should ‘justwork!’.We become perplexed when a piece of technology does not behave inthe way we expect. Hence most people notice the complexity of the technologyonly when it goes wrong. At stage 1, most people will not have the under-standing to know what part of the system is failing to respond in the way thatthey expect, nor, in all likelihood, will they have the patience or time to find out.Most people will blame the system, the hardware or the IT people. Some willassume they themselves are incompetent. Participants can become very upset andangry. Handling these feelings and their consequences and continuing toencourage participants to log on is an ongoing challenge for e-moderators andtechnical support people alike.Many people will be unfamiliar with the software tools you choose to use.It is important to show participants how to use the software but this needs tobe achieved whilst they are taking part in online e-tivities that are interesting andrelevant to them. It is not a good idea to offer face-to-face sessions to try toinstruct new participants in all the features of the platform and then to expectthem to be able to take part successfully. Your IT support people will otherwisespend many hours providing assistance, and some people will still fall by thewayside. Participants will also spread the myth that e-learning ‘doesn’t work’!E-tivities at this stage therefore need to provide a gentle but interestingintroduction to using the technological platform and acknowledgement of thefeelings surrounding using technology. Access takes many forms. This participantacknowledges that various forms of help that enabled him to start and encou-rages him to return:

At stage 1 the computer skills of participants and staff will vary enormously.