(I just posted this in a thread / conversation with Rory on the WebCT discussion board, but I think it's worth keeping it here in the blog as well.)

Thanks for the reply, Rory.

I think part of my problem is that I reserve the word presence for something physical. I think I would be more comfortable with the phrase 'virtual presence', but even that is problematic. When you use the adjective virtual, you're still trapping yourself in an analogous way of thinking. For instance, the phrase 'virtual space' seems to refer to a space, again a very physical thing, to me. To me, SL is not a space at all, it exists as bits on servers and my notebook that are connected through a network and becomes 'visible' (cartoon style) through my monitor, and audible through my speakers. I can type in a chatbox, or use my computer's mike to talk, but in the end its all just bits. So, 'I' can never be in SL.

Similar with this thread. I type this in a word processor and will later cust and paste this text to the WebCT discussion board. I don't think of myself as being 'in WebCT'. WebCT is also just bits. When I have posted my text there, than you might say that text is present there, but not me.

Your explanation of cognitive presence was helpful, thanks for that.

Now on to the implications for e-learning. I think that as long as we keep talking about virtual classrooms, learning systems as Blackboard &c., we're thinking in terms of analogy. We're thinking in terms of how something 'e' can replace some activity in a traditional learning / teaching setting. To me, the interesting possibilities of technology appear at the edges, when we try to think of things 'e' as extensions. What does 'e' allow us to do that we could never do in a traditional classroom setting?

One example might be the MScEL program. I think this exists only because you can do this whole program online. It might be hard to find enough students in Scotland to make this program economically feasible. Since it is now possible to recruit students internationally, world wide, the equation has changed considerably. Yes, of course you could also do it as a traditional long distance learning package, but the structure and communication that you can add in an e-learning setting helps students to stay focussed and schedule time on task.

Another example would be collaborative research, with a group of graduate students one would be able to digest a large amount of literature and build a knowledge base, for instance in a wiki, very fast. This would be different from the situation in which all your students read the same textbook, or same articles. Even more interesting: the wiki might stay on for students in coming years, for them to expand and to build upon.