Abstract

ABARCA ARAYA, Steven. Social networks as a tool for teaching mediation: scope and limitations. Rev. Actual. Investig. Educ [online]. 2013, vol.13, n.2, pp.294-311. ISSN 1409-4703.

This essay emerged from a literature review that yielded information on the scope and limitations of using the Internet and social media as a tool for teaching mediation. The Internet and social networks have come to occupy a prominent space in today´s society, being utilized to promote products, services, entertainment and sometimes, as a pedagogic mediation instrument. As a result of the review it was found that the use of social networks  as  a  tool  for  teaching  mediation  has  identified  its  benefits  as  a  greater  asynchrony  coverage  in mediation, collaborative learning, autonomous learning, among others. However, in contrast to its benefits it has its limitations such as lack of teachers expertise, the technology, students usage, accesses, significant time in the pedagogical mediation, the reluctance of some towards the use of technology, the difficulty to control whether the student is actually  participating in educational activities, among others. We conclude  that it is  too hasty to speculate about the future that awaits the use of social networks as a tool  for teaching mediation, as some of these achievements and limitations will disappear as we gain more experience in their use, and their presence is more usual in our educational system, while others will be maintained or even may increase, so their use should be analyzed in light of the context and reality of each educational institution.

Keywords : social networks; teaching mediation; knowledge management; networked learning.

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