Online Communities, Youth

Hobbies, Informal Learning, and Activism

Online communities can bring together people with common interests, connecting like-minded individuals who live too far apart to meet otherwise. This process is especially valuable for teenagers and older children. An adult can explore an interest in a variety of ways not open to a child. For example, an adult interested in chess might attend a local chess club, buy books on the subject, and sign up for lessons. Children, however, are dependent on adults' willingness and ability to transport them and to provide financial support for such activities. Some parents may encourage children's interests in a particular activity, others may not. Furthermore, adults may not take children's interests seriously. While some parents might eagerly nurture the interests of a budding junior chessmaster, other parents may not support a child who is interested, for example, in protecting the environment. Children who live in geographically remote locations may find no one nearby who understands their interests and encourages them.

On the Internet, a young environmental activist can participate in discussions with adults. Young chess players can post messages on chess forums or play in online games with people of any age—without others necessarily knowing their age. Consequently, the Internet provides a unique opportunity for mature teenagers to be “taken seriously” by the adult world. On some online communities that cater to young people, youths can meet and socialize with like-minded peers.

Before online communication became widely accessible, students interested in a topic might find information about it in the public library. Now they can not only find information about that topic online with less effort but also interact with others interested in that topic. Because learning is a social process, the ability to talk with others encourages rich informal-learning opportunities.

Online communities also provide new ways for youth to get involved in political issues. For example, a number of Web sites (e.g., http://www.nomoretests.com and http://www.pencilsdown.org) give students guidelines for local political action to protest standardized testing, which some researchers believe is harmful to the quality of education. In such issue-oriented online communities, young people can share strategies and learn how to get involved.

Formal Learning

Online communities are increasingly playing a role in schools. The field of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) explores ways for online communities to create new learning opportunities. For example, the Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE, http://csile.oise.utoronto.ca/) lets students within a classroom debate issues online in the same way that communities of scientists debate scientific questions. It may seem surprising that kids in one classroom would talk to one another online; however, software can help structure debate, and the process of putting thoughts into writing can help learners to better reflect on the issues.

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