Abstract

Several studies on youth and social networks have generally revealed extensive usage of these Internet services, widespread access from almost any location and the special importance that the youth attach to these services in building their social relations. This article presents part of the analyses and results from a research questionnaire on «Scenarios, digital technologies and youth in Andalusia», administered to a population of 1,487 youth between the ages of 13 and 19. The discussion on young Andalusians and social networks revolves around the structure and configuration of their profiles, intended uses and the privacy and security involved. The results reveal a population with nearly unlimited access to social networks and with very little adult monitoring; moreover, those connecting are younger than the legal minimum age defined by the Internet services themselves. The motivations of Andalusian youth for using social networks fall into three areas. The first two, social and psychological/affective motivations, are also commonly found in other studies; the third refers to the need to use social networks in matters concerning everyday life. This paper suggests certain new aspects in its conclusions in order to explain the nature and meaning of the practices of Andalusian youth in social networks.

Abstract

The change in classroom methodologies has in many cases come with the emergence of the Internet and 2.0 tools (mainly social networks). The development of a constructivist approach focused on group work means that students’ training can be improved by this type of resources as they foster important aspects such as socialization, information searching and the achievement of a common goal, etc. This work aims to analyze the information and communication technology (ICT) university learning processes and student preferences for working either inside or outside the classroom at the universities of Córdoba, Sevilla, Huelva and the Basque Country. Our objectives are focused on knowing: the students’ feelings on social software and its influence on collaborative and group work;) the social network tools they use and, if there are any differences between these universities in terms of collaborative work perceptions. The instrument for data gathering was a four-dimensional questionnaire. The main results are: students are interested in group work as a type of classroom methodology; students have little knowledge of technology tools (except for social networks). These results provide a reliable diagnostic instrument for the variables that comprise this tool.