Social networks in the classroom: redefining learning in the digital era

Abstract

This article addresses the use of social networks in the context of urban secondary education, with the objective of understanding their impact on the teaching and learning processes from the perceptions of teachers and students. The research was developed under a qualitative and interpretative approach, using semi-structured interviews and participant observation. The findings were organized into three categories: digital platforms, adaptive methodologies and digital generation gap. The results reveal that, although social networks can generate dispersion and reduce concentration, they also represent a powerful tool to foster collaborative learning, information search and active student participation, as long as they are pedagogically managed. From the theoretical framework, contributions from connectivism (Siemens, 2004; Downes, 2006), the classification of digital natives and immigrants (Prensky, 2001), and recent studies on collaborative digital scenarios (Caicedo et al., 2024; Bernal, 2020), which support the need to integrate these platforms into contemporary educational strategies, are taken up. The article concludes by highlighting the urgency of training teachers with digital competencies and promoting the reflective use of social networks, thus contributing to a more inclusive, contextualized education in line with the challenges of the digital era.