EXPLORING THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORK （探索使用社交网络）.pdf

EXPLORING THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORK SITES ON ACCOUNTING EDUCATION: A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH Esteban Romero-Frías University of Granada, Granada, Spain erf@ugr.es José Luis Arquero Montaño University of Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain arquero@us.es RESUMEN Background. Over the course of the last few years, social media technologies such as blogs, microblogs, digital videos, podcasts, wikis, and social networks, have seen a dramatic increase in adoption rates, especially among new generations. The so called Web 2.0 services are remarkably effective in connecting people and in facilitating the exchange of information. These tools are described as social media technologies or social software, underlining their ability to facilitate the establishment of relationships and the development of networks. Social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook or MySpace have proved to be extremely popular among students. Pegrum (2009, p. 27- 28) states that “the reality is that students are already using social networking sites (SNS) and the educators have the choice to work with or against them. The advantage of the former strategy is that it is possible to openly address concerns over Internet safety or time spent online, attempting to provide guidance in such areas.” However, the development of digital literacy is not the unique and main advantage. Social software characteristics and SNS in particular fit well the requirements of a social constructivist approach to education. Aims. Given the apparent synergy between the technological characteristics of SNSs and the models of learning being actively promoted in Spanish and European Higher Education, the main resear