I've really enjoyed following the Discussion forum in our current class's ELC. What's worked real well is that it provides us a smorgasbord of articles to choose from and respond to. Technology/education-related articles varied due to students' different interests and experiences. As a result, we get a glimpse of current research, findings, studies, and innovations. This is especially beneficial since educators don't have enough time to read everything out there. I've noticed that our class has become more organized in sharing their posts in the forum.

One of the challenges is waiting for others to post their readings. People work and manage time differently so this is just something to consider and be flexible about when participating in an online learning community.
In the "Building An Online Learning Community" resource, it talks about the principle of interactivity. I think the Discussion form has really fostered this notion of "participation, dialogue, and reciprocity, and of being a part of something beyond oneself." I wish though that there were other opportunities for "spontaneity" in the exchange of ideas instead of the required number of postings. But overall, it's been a meaningful experience!