Abstract:

Social network sites were defined as web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system; articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system In another definition, they are defined as a range of applications that augment group interactions and shared spaces for collaboration, social connections, and aggregates information exchanges in a web-based environment. In a latter definition, social network sites were defined as personal and personalizable spaces for online conversations and sharing of content based typically on the maintenance and sharing of ‘profiles’ where individual users can represent themselves to other users through the display of personal information, interests, photographs, social networks and so on. All these definitions indicate that individuals construct their social networks in order to communicate and interact with their networks which are basic requirements for social learning.

Within this perspective, social networks as a learning environment of post-graduate students were examined in this paper. The data was gathered through an online questionnaire. Post-graduate students’ attitudes and preferences were examined in terms of communication and educational needs. Additionally, the potential of social networks were discussed and implications for future directions were presented. On this basis, the purpose of this paper is to explore online social networks from learning dimension and to put forward its educational premises.

Keywords:

Social Networks, Digital Communication, Learning Environments.