THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE HIGHER VOCATIONAL COLLEGE PROGRAMMES

The purpose of this article is to find out in what ways the aims of the Higher Vocational College programmes can be achieved with innovative educational approaches. One of such approaches can also be the use of social networks, which is presented here, especially in the context of educational programmes Countryside Management and Environmentalism, with emphasis on competence building at the subject Business communication and management.

A critical analysis of some social networks usability has been conducted and a questionnaire on the same topic has been carried out among the Higher Vocational College students. The results refer to advantages, such as, entertainment, possibilities of quick contacts, building up of our own professional networking and social capital, possibilities of getting new jobs, exchange of opinions, thought sharing, exchange of article and videos, more interesting studies and relaxed communication.
Some disadvantages have been also pointed out: claims that such a type of communication causes a lack of personal contacts and a lack of recreation in nature.

Social networks enable formation of groups for public and private communication. They function as collaborational network of creative participants, which encourages lifelong learning process.