Thanks Maha – that’s a very thoughtful response. I wonder if the ideal learning experience needs us to be friends with everyone who is participating. for people to be like-minded. I suspect that could limit the learning. I have always enjoyed friendship in my work and study lives but have a learned a lot with and from people who aren’t my friends. I also disagree on certain things with my friends. The Internet gives us the possibility to meet people who are different from ourselves in many ways but differences present communicational challenges. In online learning spaces, I believe that we should actively promote dialogue rather than seek to reach agreement. This means that we need ways to communicate that help us get past misunderstanding and that acknowledge that agreement and disagreement are both permitted.