Social networks and Information and Communications Technology in Education: collaborative learning, gender differences, age and preferences

Abstract

Social networks arouse an unusual social, professional, and academic interest. The lack and need for studies and research that provide results and conclusions to the possible relationship between the use of social networks and their links with collaborative work and other variables, inter alia: gender, age, country where university studies are made, etc., are the trigger of the study presented in the article, and whose general purposes are intended to determine whether there are significant differences between the use of all these variables. In addition, it aims to identify social tools learners prefer in their teaching practice. The instrument used to carry out the work is prepared by Anderson et al. (2009) called "Social Software survey used with unpaced undergrad". Some of the results found out show that there are significant differences in gender, so women show greater skills in tools mobilizing and men in technical-technological skills, as well as differences with respect to age, among others.