ICT in distance education

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/technology-allows-vce-students-to-take-education-on-the-road-20111113-1ndun.html

I read this article in the Age on Monday and I thought it brought up some interesting ideas about ICT in education. My brother and sister did home schooling for a year in year 9, and while the enjoyed it (and felt like they learnt more than they would have in mainstream school) they found it quite isolating as they didn't have anyone else to talk to. As well as Skype, which is mentioned in this article, I think it would be useful to have wikis and discussion boards to allow distance education students to connect to work collaboratively and to discuss ideas.