Abstract:

In the current dynamic development and increased access to modern educational and media technologies, it is important to ensure the development of so-called communication competences, sometimes referred to as competences of the 21st century. A significant part of such competences is connected with effective use of social media tools. For the purposes of our research, a detailed catalogue of skills useful in using social media and new media tools has been created. It includes, in particular, use of communicators, social networking sites and platforms, microblogging, activity in discussion areas on Internet portals, maintenance of identity/identities on the Internet and VtoR processes, online learning and the intensity of presence on the Internet. The competence set creates a kind of aggregate factor of scale of communication competences in social media.

The tool created in this way was applied to the group of examined students before and after the intensive project learning course. Then, the differences between individual results of the respondents were compared and assessed in terms of changes in the scale of communication and media competences. The results of the research confirmed that the completion of classes in the project mode with practical learning of social media functionalities significantly increases some of the components of the scale factor of communication competences in social media. A similar result applies to the overall indicator of the scale of communication competences in social media.

Keywords:

Social media, communication competences, media literacy, project learning.