Current initiatives, barriers, and opportunities for networked learning in Latin America

Abstract

This paper explores and describes the current initiatives, barriers, and opportunities for formal, non-formal, and informal networked learning experiences using social media in Latin America. It focuses on networked learning initiatives such as the use of institutional social media accounts, educational hashtags, social media in the classroom, educational channels via video hosting platforms, and government established networked learning programs for connected classrooms. The same multiplicity, diversity, and heterogenicity that represent the culture, languages, and socio-economic status of the people of Latin America also characterize the vast mixture of networked learning initiatives across the region. Potential barriers (i.e., the digital divide, Internet filtering policies, lack of research) and opportunities for implementation (i.e., networked learning educational reforms, mobile learning technology, and social media ethical considerations) are explored. The paper concludes with recommendations that policymakers and education leaders in Latin America should keep in mind to engage in fruitful networked learning initiatives.

Adjusting sails for changing winds: exploring Reddit use for professional purposes in higher education

“…A questionnaire may help obtain insights regarding what motivates some higher education professionals to actively contribute to discussions or merely read discussions. Notably, this additional investigation may reveal various reasons why people remain in a peripheral position (Romero-Hall et al, 2020 ) and which barriers (e.g., privacy issues, disreputable behaviors, and the spread of misinformation) hinder successful knowledge-seeking through social media platforms (Dabbagh et al, 2015 ; Krutka et al, 2019 ; Romero-Hall, 2021 ). Interviews can also reveal how (i.e., in what ways) and why (i.e., for what reasons) higher education professionals turn to Reddit for professional purposes.…”

Mapeo y análisis de programas EdTech en América Latina y el Caribe

“…En América Latina, las plataformas de organización social y de redes basadas en la tecnología han demostrado su eficacia para facilitar y coordinar las experiencias de aprendizaje formales e informales. Las plataformas basadas en la tecnología han permitido a los educadores comunicarse y organizarse a través del contenido, difundir recursos y materiales didácticos y organizar estrategias de aprendizaje a distancia (⇡Romero-Hall, 2021). También se ha demostrado que el uso de estas plataformas aumenta la alfabetización digital de los estudiantes (⇡Romero-Hall, 2021).…”

The influence of policy and context on teachers’ social media use

“…Indeed, Veletsianos (2017) has argued that the utility and nature of a Twitter hashtag as a learning space is determined in part by its 'broader social, cultural, economic, and political environment' (p. 284). More pointedly, Hashim and Carpenter (2019) have noted that 'there are broader… factors that may influence teachers' social media use' (p. 9), and Romero-Hall (2021) has established that the 'multiplicity, diversity, and heterogenicity' (p. 13) of Latin American contexts and cultures are reflected in the ways social media is used in the region. Yet, research on teachers' professional development through Twitter has often been inattentive to contextual factors, and previous research on teachers' use of Twitter has largely treated participation as driven by individual motivations (eg, Prestridge, 2019).…”