“Organic Groups” (such as Refworks, Del.ico.us, Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Wikis) allow for simple and user-friendly modes of posting, sorting, cataloging, and searching learning materials. Many such sites offer message boards on which students and instructors can communicate, as well as live chat options and instant messaging.

In particular, “People often praise the wiki because it offers simple page creation and provides instant gratification for amateur Web developers.”

Benefits of online learning tools:

Ease of access to learning materials:
□	Students can learn from a location other than campus with ease.
□	Students and Educators can easily contribute to an existing database of materials 	and contribute to the body of knowledge of their discipline.
□	Scholars are not limited by distance or by time constraints of a classroom; since 	the material is posted, it can be accessed as needed.

Efficacy of online learning tools:

In 2006, researchers Fancescato, Porcelli, and Mebane recognized the increasing use of computer supported learning tools, and published a study which: “aimed to compare the efficacy of collaborative learning in face-to-face and online groups. Fifty psychology majors learnt the same professional skill (a community evaluation methodology) in two seminars taught over a two month period by the same teacher online and face-to-face. Participants in both seminars achieved similar growth in level of professional competence, academic self-efficacy, social self-efficacy and self efficacy for problem solving among members. Post-course evaluation of collaborative experience showed no significant differences between online and face-to-face seminar participants in perceived social presence, cooperation and satisfaction with the learning experience. Our results support the claim of advocates of third generation distance education methodologies that computers can be an effective enabler, not only of independent learning, but also of collaborative learning. Furthermore, computer-supported collaborative learning environments are as efficient as collaborative learning in face-to-face seminars in developing social presence and increasing professional competencies and self-efficacy.”

Other studies in various databases, from various journals report similar results. So although the interpersonal, face-to-face social experience of the classroom is lost, with the use of online learning tool, learning is aided by an overall ease of access to materials.