[en] Virtual learning communities have assumed an important role in on-line courses, supporting the process of knowledge construction and collaborative work, as well as the possibility of identifying talents previously invisible among community participants.This result was observed in the on-line course about e-Government created to train public workers from the State of S?o Paulo government and developed by the Nucleus of Distance Education of the Foundation of Administrative Development (Funda??o do Desenvolvimento Administrativo - Fundap), an institution that is currently linked to the Secretary of Public Management of the State government of S?o Paulo, Brazil.The course has been offered since July 2005 to approximately 3,000 state government workers. The course has a series of activities, including a virtual learning community that is sustained by five fundamental pedagogical components: a tutorial structured according to a broadcast approach, adoption of an educational approach based upon the andragogical model, pedagogical and technical mediation, effective contribution by theparticipants, and a collaborative and continuous learning process. Through the virtual learning community it was possible to identify 50 workers who have in depth knowledge of certain themes that are part of the course. These individuals acted as technical mediators in the community. They have the co-responsibility for maintaining the communityactive, and they constitute a network of resources within the government system.Once these workers were identified some of them began to work more closely withthe government, helping the process of implementing e-government actions. It is interesting to highlight that these talents always existed within the system however they were unknown and possibly ignored. The creation of the virtual learning community can be a great opportunity for the government to regain the human and intellectual potential of its workers, valuing their capacity to think, to create and to relate to one another.

[es] Las Comunidades Virtuales de Aprendizaje est?n asumiendo un papel importante en los cursos on-line, permitiendo, adem?s del soporte al proceso de construcci?n delconocimiento y del trabajo colaborativo, la posibilidad de identificaci?n de talentospreviamente invisibles entre los participantes de estas comunidades.Este resultado fue observado en el curso sobre Administraci?n Electr?nica, mediado por ordenador y v?a Internet, creado para la capacitaci?n de funcionarios del gobierno delEstado de S?o Paulo, realizado por el N?cleo de Educaci?n a Distancia de la Fundaci?n para el Desarrollo Administrativo (Fundap), insituci?n ligada actualmente a la Secretar?a de Gesti?n P?blica del Gobierno del Estado de S?o Paulo en Brasil.Este curso se ofrece desde julio de 2005 para aproximadamente unos 3.000 funcionarios del Gobierno del Estado, en el cual la comunidad virtual de aprendizaje se sustenta porcinco pilares pedag?gicos fundamentales: Un curso basado en la difusi?n masiva broadcast-, adopci?n del modelo andrag?gico como perspectiva educacional, mediaci?npedag?gica y t?cnica, contribuci?n efectiva de los participantes, y el aprendizajecontinuo y colaborativo. Mediante la comunidad virtual de aprendizaje fue posible identificar cerca de 50 funcionarios que conoc?an profundamente determinados temas tratados en el curso y que pasar?an a actuar como mediadores t?cnicos en la comunidad.Ellos tienen la corresponsabilidad de mantener la comunidad actuante y crear una red de recursos dentro del sistema de gobierno. Tras esa identificaci?n, algunos de estos funcionarios hab?an pasado a trabajar m?s estrechamente con el gobierno, ayudando en el proceso de implantaci?n de acciones de administraci?n electr?nica. Es interesantemencionar que esos talentos siempre existieron, per sin embargo estaban escondidos y, posiblemente, ignorados. La creaci?n de la comunidad virtual de aprendizaje puede ser la gran oportunidad del gobierno para rescatar el potencial intelectual y humano de susfuncionarios, valorando la capacidad de pensar, de crear y de relacionarse que ellos tienen.