Social networks and lifelong learning in older people

Various socio-demographic factors are causing our society to coexist every day with a group of elderly population that remains active and inserted into the daily dynamics. However, it is believed that there are certain barriers that make this group of people to not adequately address the technologies and even social networks. The creation of the University Programs for the Elderly (PUM), however, is leading to a new stage, since older people who participate come into contact with all kinds of content and rigor, updating own university education, thus changing the way to tackle the most innovative and different situations. In this study, we analyze what is the knowledge and use of older people, PUM, attending the University of Jaen have of the social networks and the assessment made of the need for these programs. To achieve this, we used a methodology in which qualitative and quantitative processes were articulated, through the analysis of data obtained from interviews and a focus groups with program Aquad 7. The data collected show that there is still some ignorance about social networks by older people, but everyone values their usefulness and necessity. Participants believe that they will be least affected of the risks of these technologies and demand a greater training in these contained within the PUM.

Social networks and cooperative learning in a MOOC

MOOCs are changing the educational landscape and gaining a lot of attention in scientific literature. However, the pedagogical design of these proposals has been called into question. It is precisely MOOCs’ social aspect, i.e. the interaction between course participants and the support for learning processes that has become one of the main topics of interest. This article presents the results of a research project carried out at the University of the Basque Country, which focused in cooperative learning and the intensive use of social networks in a MOOC. Significant data was compiled through Likert-type surveys, revealing that the use of both external and internal social networks in a massive open online course is a factor that is evaluated positively by students. We argue that the use of social networks as a learning strategy in a MOOC has an influence on academic performance and on the students' success rate. Furthermore, the participants’ age also has a bearing on the social networks they use, and we have found that the younger members tend to work with external networks such as Twitter or personal blogs, whereas the older students are more inclined to use forums from the Chamilo or Ning platforms.

Teaching morphology trough communicative approach and cooperative learning in Secondary Education: practical proposal

We will be presenting the following practical proposal that will consist of two sessions implemented with different courses of Secondary Education (ESO) of the Colegio Círculo Católico (Catholic School Group), located in the city of Burgos. Each session lasts 55 minutes. These sessions focus on the morphology of the Spanish language. Its design has been carried out by keeping in mind the theoretical basis of the communicative approach and cooperative learning.

Blogs as virtual environments for teaching and learning in Higher Education

The transformation of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into knowledge and learning technologies is increasingly becoming a matter of concern. Teaching settings associated with the use of blogs in Higher Education are presented in this paper, proceeding from an innovative learning experience of projects carried out by a group of professors between 2009 and 2013. Both, teachers and students who took part in the subjects that implemented the blog, considered it as helpful resource to create a virtual and learning-teaching environment due to the multiple potentialities it offers. Among some of these potentialities, some stand out: it makes easier the access to knowledge, promotes a more active and reflective learning, expands the social experience of learning, provides evidence about the students’ progress which helps to reorient the teaching-learning process, and encourages the critical judgment. Nevertheless, several problems related with the students’ participation and the teacher’s blog management have been identified.