Abstract:

The current knowledge and relationship rich society in which we live has favoured the emergence of different social networks. Microblogging, the ability to communicate with the world using only a small number of characters, is among the most widely used social networking application. This apparent limitation forces the user to share just the essentials of his or her message. Our study analyzes the importance of the implementation of these platforms and their relationship to motivation and confidence among university students as well as their impact on self-directed learning.
This paper begins by analyzing the relationship that microblogging social networks have to informal knowledge, self-directed learning and networking as applied to knowledge useful for the classroom.
In order to conduct this study, Twitter, the mostly widely used microblogging social network was used before, during and after classes. Questions related the syllabus were “tweeted.” The frequency and level of students' answers and their discussions on the matter within this network was observed and studied. Important points from different class sessions were highlighted in the tweets and the content of subsequent sessions was tweeted ahead of time in order to receive and monitor visible feedback within the network (made up of student in the class).
Interaction using these technological tools fulfils some of the challenges and commitments raised for the future European Higher Education Area (EHEA) through collaborative work, transforming our education system based on "teaching" in one based on "learning.”
The objectives of this study are threefold: 1) To analyze the actual result of the use of such tools by comparing the final marks of students who have used the network throughout the course against those who have not, 2) To whether students' gender influences this learning system, and 3) To analyze the influence of teachers in this process.

Keywords:

Microblogging, learning, teaching tools, gender.