Studies of learning and human-computer interaction have often focused on settings and practices that are relatively fixed and well- defined, such as a college-level course, a workgroup in a company, or a museum exploration. These studies have contributed much to our understanding of the potential and the problems associated with incorporating computers into collaborative practice. They have also contributed

to the analysis of how learning happens in a wide range of settings. However, such well-defined situations represent but a small portion of realities that are relevant to the field of community informatics (CI), which aims to understand how information and communication technologies (ICTs) are employed to help communities achieve their goals (Gurstein, 2004; Keeble & Loader, 2001). When viewed from the perspective of learning in communities, we see the challenge facing CI in the form of four research questions:

● How do people learn within communities?

● How do communities themselves learn?

● What tools facilitate learning within communities?

● How can communities develop shared capacity in the form of knowledge, skills,

and tools?