The change from weblogs to social networks to develop lifelong learners

摘要

The following paper is based on the discussion of current literature about Web 2.0 technologies, specifically, weblogs and social networks. Three questions guided the research: What are the characteristics of weblogs that support the development of lifelong learners?; What are the characteristics of social networks that support the development of lifelong learners? and; How does the use of weblogs compare with the use of social networks as tools to develop lifelong learners? Answers to these questions are presented evidencing that current transition from weblogs to social networks was expected. The author acknowledges that students are already participating through social networks and it is easier to teach a new way of using them, than imposing a technology they are not going to use later. At the end, implications for future research are presented in a way to provide future evidence to support efforts of educators to integrate adequate technologies into the teaching-learning process.