Powerful Learning

Which is more powerful, a service or a community? This idea came up during the last ETT Community Meeting. A service was defined as a fully funded entity like your landline or your local hospital or even your community college. A community was defined more like a bunch of people who contribute to each other's learning. A community is an entity with which you can engage, and by engaging, learn.
The difference is both a but murky but at the same time crystal clear. Because specifically ETT was a community, I was comfortable being a part of the community.
A community is capable of powerful learning. I have not found a service, including any school, that is capable of that kind of learning. In any class, forming a community creates the opportunity for powerful learning. That is intriguing.
Every class I teach I take time to foster a sense of community before we dive into learning. Most teachers in K12 probably do this. Some professors I had in higher education have built the class into community. CCK08 built a sense of community and thus it was powerful learning.
I guess the real question for me is how do I seek to build powerful learning communities in every class I lead? Am I building community or not?
The above photo has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic, but ain't he cute? He loved the Shippensburg Fair last night too.