Editorial

  • Stefania Manca CNR - Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche
  • Maria Ranieri Università degli Studi di Firenze
Keywords: Contemporary History, Social Media, Media Education, Learning Technologies

Abstract

Over the last few years, interest in the potential of social media for increasingpeople’s participation in public spaces and citizenship has gained momentum. In addition to use for sharing cultural, social and educational content, social networking has come to the fore in political contexts, especially during the 2011 Arab uprisings. Since then, their role in supporting civic participation and political/cultural change has been widely debated, with authors adopting contrasting positions. On the one hand, social media have been recognised as a technology that fosters a participatory attitude,supports civic engagement, and acts as a driver for young people’s participation: from discussion forums to the creation of wiki content, from sharing useful resources to using information in every field of life – education, politics, economy, society.

Author Biographies

Stefania Manca, CNR - Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche

Stefania Manca is a level III researcher at the Institute for Educational Technologies of the CNR (Genoa). She initially investigated methods and techniques for structuring information material in hypertextual form and the relationship between hypertextuality and multimedia and educational and training needs. For some years she has also been involved in educational robotics within a research project that had as its theme the development of programmable environments for educational play. Her main research interests have always been oriented to the processes of knowledge construction and to the social and emotional dynamics that support cognitive processes in learning. In particular, he has carried out research activities in the field of CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) on pedagogical, psychological and technological issues of virtual learning communities. He currently carries out research on the role played by social media and social networks in formal and informal learning contexts and for professional development. She also deals with social technologies in the inclusion of people with disabilities and participatory dynamics from a Student Voice perspective.

Stefania Manca è ricercatore III livello presso l'Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche del CNR (Genova). Si è occupata inizialmente di indagare metodi e tecniche di strutturazione di materiale informativo in forma ipertestuale e del rapporto tra ipertestualità e multimedialità ed esigenze didattico-formative. Per alcuni anni si è anche occupata di robotica educativa nell'ambito di un progetto di ricerca che ha avuto per tema lo sviluppo di ambienti programmabili per il gioco educativo. I suoi principali interessi di ricerca sono da sempre orientati ai processi di costruzione di conoscenza e alle dinamiche sociali ed emotive che supportano i processi cognitivi nell'apprendimento. In particolare, ha svolto attività di ricerca nel settore del CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) relativamente alle problematiche pedagogiche, psicologiche e tecnologiche delle comunità virtuali dell'apprendimento. Attualmente svolge attività di ricerca sul ruolo svolto dai Social Media e dai Social Network nei contesti formali e informali di apprendimento e per lo sviluppo professionale. Si occupa, inoltre, di tecnologie social nell'inclusione di persone con disabilità e di dinamiche partecipative in ottica Student Voice.

Maria Ranieri, Università degli Studi di Firenze

PhD in "Telematics and Information Society", Associate Professor in Didactics and Special Pedagogy (M-PED/03) at the Department of Education Sciences and Psychology of the University of Florence, where he currently carries out his research activities, particularly in the fields of technologies in education, media education and methods of educational research. In the field of educational technologies, she has mainly dealt with the relationship between technologies and educational processes, with particular attention to the methodological dimensions of networked training. 

PhD in "Telematica e Società dell'Informazione", professore Associato in Didattica e Pedagogia Speciale (M-PED/03) presso il Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione e Psicologia dell'Università di Firenze, dove svolge attualmente la sua attività di ricerca, in particolare negli ambiti riguardanti le tecnologie in educazione, la media education e i metodi della ricerca educativa. Sul versante delle tecnologie in educazione, si è soprattutto occupata del rapporto tra tecnologie e processi formativi, con particolare attenzione alle dimensioni metodologiche della formazione in rete.: 

She has published several essays and some volumes such as: / Ha pubblicato diversi saggi e alcuni volumi quali: 

E-learning: modelli e strategie didattiche, Erickson, Trento, 2005; E-tutor: identità e competenze, Erickson, Trento, 2005 (con M. Rotta); Formazione e cyberspazio. Divari e opportunità nel mondo della rete, ETS, Pisa, 2006; I social network nell’educazione. Basi teoriche, modelli applicativi, linee guida, Erickson, Trento, 2013 (con S. Manca).   Manca S., Ranieri M. (2013). Is it a tool suitable for learning? A critical review of the literature on Facebook as a technology-enhanced learning environment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, e con A. Calvani, A. Fini e M. Molino: Visualizing and monitoring effective interactions in online collaborative groups, British Journal of Educational Technology, 41, 213-226.

Published
2019-01-25
Issue
Vol. 15/1 (December 2015)
Section
Editorial
Copyright (c) 2015 Stefania Manca, Maria Ranieri

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