Not only this, but you will meet people from all over the United States and the world. Of course, as exciting as this sounds, there are commands to learn, etiquette to follow, and pitfalls to avoid. And that's why we wrote MOOniversity . Together, we have used MOOs for educational purposes for a number of years, both in teaching and research, as well as when we collaborate online. However, the main problem has been the lack of a good textbook on MOOs and how to use them, a problem that led us to write this book.
Writing is a way of knowing.
In a MOO you are taking part in the construction of a community, just as you do at school in your classrooms, your after class activities, and your social communities. Although this book is primarily written for undergraduate and graduate students taking writing courses or courses that involve the use of MOOs, it is general enough that students in others fields that want to know more about how to use a MOO will also benefit from reading it. Furthermore, teachers will also find it useful as they venture into MOOspace for the first time, as they prepare their course materials, and as a resource for connecting with other teachers who use educational MOOs. Many educators in many disciplines are prime candidates for integrating educational MOOs into their teaching, and those who do research about online learning environments, as well as those who train faculty will find MOOniversity ideal for their purposes. There are many tips, shortcuts, guided questions, exercises, and visual and textual examples throughout the book.