Technology Mediated Learning: Building Capacity in Rural Communities

Abstract

Internet access in rural Canada increases opportunities for learning and interaction among community leaders. Research on the use of chat room technology to facilitate learning and development revealed that there were significant barriers, including time constraints, lack of prior social and professional contact among participants, and limited value placed on informal learning relative to other daily activities. Communications technologies such as chat rooms have the potential to help meet personal and community goals, but they must be effectively combined with other community assets and circumstances for the benefits of their use to be realized.