El valor educativo de las redes sociales

Frecuentemente escucho el comentario de que los adolescentes se pasan perdiendo su tiempo en redes sociales como MySpace y Facebook. Una investigación realizada por investigadores de la Universidad de Minnesota refleja que los adolescentes adquieren destrezas importantes como producto de usar estas redes sociales:

When asked what they learn from using social networking sites, the students listed technology skills as the top lesson, followed by creativity, being open to new or diverse views and communication skills.

"What we found was that students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today," said Christine Greenhow, a learning technologies researcher in the university’s College of Education and Human Development and principal investigator of the study. "Students are developing a positive attitude towards using technology systems, editing and customizing content and thinking about online design and layout. They’re also sharing creative original work like poetry and film and practicing safe and responsible use of information and technology. The Web sites offer tremendous educational potential."

Resalta el hecho de que esta investigación se realizó con estudiantes de escasos recursos económicos y en la misma no se reflejó la llamada brecha digital. Los dejo con un reportaje sobre la misma: