Conceptual models for the creation and development of virtual communities: A contribution to the state-of-the-art

Abstract

Nowadays, virtual communities are present in all social segments. Unlike business, the presence of virtual communities in education contexts is still in the process of implementation and acceptance by a large part of the school community. To understand their dynamics and functioning is not a simple task. For its proper functioning it implies that some elements work in perfect harmony and are able to encourage spaces with multiple learning possibilities. Therefore, this paper aims at presenting some models that try to explain the process of creation and development of virtual communities. We believe that these models may work as guidelines that might help us to better understand the concepts of interaction, collaboration, e-moderation and collaborative learning.