EVALUATING THE USE OF ACADEMIC SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS

Abstract

Currently, social networks constitute the mainform of internet usage. The use of social network tools asvirtual communities, instant messaging, microblogging, andphoto sharing sites have grown in the same proportions inwhich the use of computers and the Internet is democratized,facilitating the process of digital inclusion. But, more thanjust fun, social networks now have a fundamental role in theteaching-learning process. The emergence of social networksintended exclusively for educational use has contributedpositively to the socialization and transmission ofinformation between researchers and their use is beginningto show good results in the academic community. This paperevaluates the use of some academic social networks in theteaching-learning process, demonstrating not only that suchmedia are increasingly present in daily life of students andteachers, as well as its importance in the current constructionof scientific knowledge.Key-words ⎯  social media, social networks, teachinglearningprocess, pedagogic tools.