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International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education
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Facebook’s Potential for Collaborative e-Learning

Posibilidades de la plataforma Facebook para el aprendizaje colaborativo en línea

International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education volume 8, pages 197–210 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Today, Facebook (www.facebook.com) is probably the most palpable example of environments known as ‘social networks’ or ‘Web 2.0’. Social networking sites are platforms that facilitate information sharing, interaction and collaboration among their users. However, Facebook’s success is not solely dependent on its capacity to connect people, although this was its initial orientation. The platform’s power for sharing resources and linking content on the Internet to user profiles, as well as its evolution towards lifestreaming and microblogging, enable it provide support for complex, continuous interaction experiences and, consequently, to structure collaborative-learning processes. The platform’s communication tools, combined with the option to enhance its potential by installing third-party modules and applications, allow members of a community or work team to carry out very diverse activities.

On the basis of theoretical underpinnings represented by the socio-constructivist perspective on communities of practice, the Web2Learn work group analysed and assessed the features that enable Facebook to be used as a platform for carrying out collaborative online activities from two angles: technological and educational.

Resumen

Facebook (www.facebook.com) quizás sea hoy el ejemplo más «palpable» de los entornos denominados redes sociales o 2.0. Las redes sociales son plataformas que facilitan el intercambio de información, la interacción y la colaboración entre sus usuarios. El éxito de Facebook como red social, sin embargo, no depende sólo de su capacidad para conectar personas, aunque sea esta su orientación inicial. La potencia de la plataforma para compartir recursos, para vincular contenidos presentes en internet a los perfiles de los usuarios y su evolución hacia el lifestreaming y el microblogging la facultan para dar soporte a experiencias de interactión complejas y continuas, y, con ello, para estructurar procesos de aprendizaje colaborativo. Las herramientas comunicativas de la plataforma, así como la opción de enriquecer sus potencialidades mediante la instalación de aplicaciones y módulos de terceros permiten a los miembros de una comunidad o equipo de trabajo desarrollar actividades heterogéneas.

Sobre el marco teórico representado por la perspectiva socioconstructivista de las comunidades de práctica, el grupo de trabajo Web2Learn ha analizado y valorado, desde una doble óptica, tecnológica y pedagógica, las características que hacen posible la utilización de Facebook como plataforma para el desarrollo de actividades colaborativas en línea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Estudis de Psicologia i Ciències de l’Educació, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Rambla del Poblenou, 156, 08018, Barcelona, Spain

    Francesc Llorens Cerdà (Lecturer-Consultant, Fundamentals of e-Learning and Educational Design)

  2. Corporate Solutions Division, IDEC-Pompeu Fabra Universitat Pompeu Fabra, C. Balmes, 132, 08008, Barcelona, Spain

    Neus Capdeferro Planas (Tutor, Graduate Programmes)

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  1. Francesc Llorens Cerdà
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Correspondence to Francesc Llorens Cerdà.

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Llorens Cerdà, F., Capdeferro Planas, N. Facebook’s Potential for Collaborative e-Learning. Int J Educ Technol High Educ 8, 197–210 (2011). https://doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v8i2.963

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