Stefania Manca
Research Director in educational technology, social media and social network sites in formal and informal learning. Currently working on social media in Holocaust education.
Phone: +39 0106475325
Address: Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Via de Marini 6
16149 Genova (Italy)
Phone: +39 0106475325
Address: Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Via de Marini 6
16149 Genova (Italy)
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Papers by Stefania Manca
Holocaust memory and learning processes have become increasingly mediatised as a result of rapid technological advances. There is, however, little information available regarding how people learn about this topic informally through social media.
Objectives
This paper explores how adult learners develop their learning ecologies by using social media to learn about the Holocaust informally.
Methods
The study uses a learning ecology perspective to analyse the interests, expectations and learning process of a group of adult learners (N = 276). An online survey tool was developed to collect information on the interests, expectations, and benefits of learning about Holocaust-related topics among online users of four Italian Holocaust museums' social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarise the characteristics of the sample and to answer the research questions.
Results and Conclusions
The results show that most of the respondents are mostly women, with an average age of 50 and a higher level of education. In terms of interest and expectations, they are particularly interested in issues related to the intertwining of transnational and national memory. They also express a sense of civic responsibility with regard to the legacy of the Holocaust. Finally, components of the learning process show proactive behaviour and a preference for individual learning, while interaction with peers is considered less important.
Holocaust memory and learning processes have become increasingly mediatised as a result of rapid technological advances. There is, however, little information available regarding how people learn about this topic informally through social media.
Objectives
This paper explores how adult learners develop their learning ecologies by using social media to learn about the Holocaust informally.
Methods
The study uses a learning ecology perspective to analyse the interests, expectations and learning process of a group of adult learners (N = 276). An online survey tool was developed to collect information on the interests, expectations, and benefits of learning about Holocaust-related topics among online users of four Italian Holocaust museums' social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarise the characteristics of the sample and to answer the research questions.
Results and Conclusions
The results show that most of the respondents are mostly women, with an average age of 50 and a higher level of education. In terms of interest and expectations, they are particularly interested in issues related to the intertwining of transnational and national memory. They also express a sense of civic responsibility with regard to the legacy of the Holocaust. Finally, components of the learning process show proactive behaviour and a preference for individual learning, while interaction with peers is considered less important.
This preliminary study investigates how three prominent Holocaust museums (Yad Vashem in Israel, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., and the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland) use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to enhance knowledge and understanding of historical and remembrance events among the general public. Using a mixed-methods approach, we analysed the museums’ social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to investigate the topics and phrases that appear most often in the posted contents.
Through latent semantic analyses, we determined the words most frequently used by the three museums themselves and within the three social media channels. Additionally, we employed topic modelling to determine underlying themes. This approach allowed us to identify possible similarities and differences between the museums’ communication output and their social media channels. Moreover, to illustrate these potential similarities and differences, we also conducted 2-Mode network analyses.
Our results show that the museums’ use of each social media channel exhibits different types of topical foci. For example, Twitter posts specifically include terminology on the Auschwitz camp, Facebook communication is more centred on the “exhibition” and the “Nazi” regime, while on Instagram the combination of “holocaust” and “photo” can often be found. Furthermore, similarities were also found, namely that the topic of “Auschwitz” is omnipresent and that all museums appear to focus on the 1941–1945 timeframe. The study has implications for the kind of historical knowledge and contemporary information that Holocaust museums and memorials contribute to disseminating on their social media profiles.
Method: The survey tool, which was implemented in an online software program that meets accessibility and usability standards, was distributed to a number of mailing lists of associations for disabled persons and a few Facebook groups. One hundred and forty-four complete responses were collected from people with disabilities who use social network sites and primarily descriptive statistics were used to illustrate the characteristics, self-reported behaviours and experiences of use.
Findings: The results show that the respondents mostly consider Facebook as their favourite SNS (92.4%), visit their favourite SNS at least once a day (81.3%) and joined it in the last 3-5 years (69.4%). While 24.3% reported having fewer than one hundred friends on the favourite site, 22.2% reported having more than 500 friends. A few of them (12.5%) reported that they did not have disabled friends among their SNS friends, while the majority reported they did. Regarding membership of groups related to disability issues, the distribution of respondents who were members and those who were not members was quite close (55.6% and 44.4%). Only 22.2% reported being a founder or administrator of a disability-related group, and 19.4% of non disability-related groups.
The respondents were also asked to rate, on a Likert scale (from 1- never to 6- more than once a day), how often they engaged in a number of activities with their nondisabled or disabled friends and groups. In the first case, the most rated activities were those related to sending personal messages (M=3.6, SD=1.4), reading and receiving messages (M=4.1, SD=1.4), and hitting "like" on a friend's update (M=4.0, SD=1.5). With reference to disabled friends and groups, the most rated activities were sending personal messages (M=2.5, SD=1.4), reading and receiving messages (M=2.9, SD=1.6), and reading group updates (M=2.5, SD=1.6).
As far as general experience of SNS is concerned, the majority of the respondents perceive SNS as an opportunity to find old friends (M=4.0, SD=0.8), as a means through which to be kept updated about news and events related to their disability (M=3.6, SD=1.1) or to exchange useful information with colleagues, schoolmates, etc. (M=3.6, SD=1.1). Lastly, the most reported problems in accessing and using SNS content are general problems of accessibility (M=3.3, SD=1.4) and Internet access (M=3.2, SD=1.4).
Conclusions: Despite a significant number of responses being collected, compared to similar studies, participants were mainly recruited through disability associations and Facebook groups. This means that the experiences of SNS use by disabled people that are not members have been neglected. Future surveys should include additional channels to recruit participants, especially among younger and more marginalized persons.
L'antisemitismo ha attraversato molte epoche storiche e regioni geografiche, assumendo forme diverse, dai pregiudizi antichi ai moderni discorsi d'odio online. Oggi le comunità ebraiche continuano a confrontarsi con sfide crescenti, tra cui un recente aumento degli episodi di antisemitismo in tutto il mondo. Dopo gli eventi del 7 ottobre, si è registrato un significativo incremento della retorica antisemita, alimentata da disinformazione e teorie del complotto. Le piattaforme di social media, in particolare TikTok, giocano un ruolo cruciale sia nella diffusione che nel contrasto dell'odio. Questo rapporto evidenzia l'importanza di utilizzare la tecnologia e i social media per combattere l'antisemitismo e dimostra come TikTok possa essere una potente piattaforma per promuovere la tolleranza e l'inclusività attraverso campagne educative.
Perché TikTok
TikTok è stato scelto come piattaforma per sviluppare una campagna sui social media contro l'antisemitismo grazie alla sua ampia portata globale e alla sua capacità unica di coinvolgere il pubblico più giovane. Con oltre un miliardo di utenti attivi, la distribuzione dei contenuti guidata dagli algoritmi di TikTok permette ai messaggi di diffondersi rapidamente e in modo capillare, rendendolo un potente strumento di sensibilizzazione e promozione dell'educazione. Il formato multimediale della piattaforma, che combina brevi video con musica, testo e immagini creative, consente di creare contenuti avvincenti e coinvolgenti, in grado di connettersi con gli utenti sia a livello emotivo che intellettuale. L'influenza di TikTok sulle tendenze e le sfide virali la rende, inoltre, una piattaforma ideale per diffondere messaggi positivi, contrastare le narrazioni antisemite e promuovere la tolleranza e l'inclusività in modo accessibile e d'impatto.
Focus dello studio
L'antisemitismo è un problema globale che colpisce le comunità ebraiche in modo diverso nei vari Paesi, a seconda del contesto storico e del ruolo della politica nella persecuzione degli ebrei. Studi recenti evidenziano la persistenza di atteggiamenti antisemiti in Europa, con una particolare incidenza nell'Europa orientale. Sebbene l'Italia presenti livelli relativamente bassi di antisemitismo, le tendenze recenti mostrano un aumento degli incidenti legati all'antisionismo. Questo rapporto si concentra su come campagne personalizzate sui social media possano affrontare le narrazioni antisemite specifiche di ogni regione, presentando studi di caso sull'Italia, l'Ungheria e i Paesi di Visegrád, e offre una guida pratica sull'uso di TikTok per combattere l'antisemitismo attraverso contenuti educativi mirati.
Come progettare e realizzare la campagna
Per progettare e realizzare una campagna efficace sui social media contro l'antisemitismo, è fondamentale iniziare definendo obiettivi chiari e creando messaggi chiave. Un aspetto essenziale è la scelta degli approcci comunicativi più adatti, che possono includere strategie come lo sfatare i miti, le contro-narrative, la decostruzione e la riformulazione delle narrazioni antisemite, l'utilizzo di storie personali, le collaborazioni con influencer, e persino l'uso dell'umorismo e del dialogo. Il rapporto offre anche indicazioni specifiche per le campagne mirate alla distorsione della Shoah e all'antisionismo, oltre a raccomandazioni tecniche su come sfruttare al meglio le funzionalità e gli strumenti di comunicazione unici di TikTok. Lo studio si completa con un elenco di risorse e analisi dettagliate disponibili nelle Appendici.
Antisemitism has persisted across historical periods and geographical regions, manifesting itself in different forms, from ancient prejudices to modern online hate speech. Today, Jewish communities face ongoing challenges, including a recent spike in antisemitic incidents worldwide. Following the events of 7 October, there has been a significant increase in antisemitic rhetoric, fuelled by misinformation and conspiracy theories. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, play a crucial role in both spreading and countering hate. This report highlights the importance of using technology and social media to counter antisemitism, and highlights TikTok as a powerful platform to promote tolerance and inclusivity through educational campaigns.
Why TikTok
TikTok was chosen as the platform for developing a social media campaign to combat antisemitism because of its vast global reach and unique ability to engage younger audiences. With over one billion active users, TikTok’s algorithm-driven content distribution allows messages to spread quickly and widely, making it a powerful tool for raising awareness and promoting education. The platform's multimedia format, which combines short videos with music, text and creative visuals, enables the delivery of compelling, relatable content that can engage users emotionally and intellectually. TikTok’s influence on trends and viral challenges also makes it an ideal platform to spread positive messages, counter antisemitic narratives and promote tolerance and inclusivity in an accessible and impactful way.
Focus of the study
Antisemitism is a global issue that affects Jewish communities differently in different countries, depending on the historical context and the role of politics in the persecution of Jews.. Recent studies highlight the persistence of antisemitic attitudes in Europe, particularly in Eastern Europe. While Italy has relatively low levels of antisemitism, recent trends indicate an increase in incidents related to anti-Zionism. This report focuses on how tailored social media campaigns can address region-specific antisemitic narratives, with case studies on Italy, Hungary and the Visegrád countries, and provides practical guidance on using TikTok to combat antisemitism through targeted, educational content.
How to design and implement the campaign
In order to design and implement an effective social media campaign to combat antisemitism, it is crucial to first define clear objectives and craft key messages. An essential element is choosing the right communication approaches, which can include strategies such as debunking myths, counter-speech, deconstructing and reframing antisemitic narratives, using personal stories, partnerships with influencers, and even humour and dialogue. The report also provides specific guidance for campaigns targeting Holocaust distortion and anti-Zionism. It also provides technical recommendations on how to effectively use TikTok’s unique features and communication tools. The study is complemented by a list of resources and detailed studies in the annexes.
Dieser Bericht soll Holocaust-Museen und -Gedenkstätten eine Reihe von Leitlinien und Empfehlungen an die Hand geben, um dem Phänomen der Holocaust-Verzerrung auf Social-Media- Kanälen zu begegnen. Da diese Einrichtungen zunehmend wichtige Eckpfeiler gegen die Verzerrung des Holocausts darstellen, haben sie vielfältige Herausforderungen, aber auch Möglichkeiten, die historische Überlieferung zu schützen, und benötigen Unterstützung, um den Herausforderungen, die von denjenigen ausgehen, die die Wahrheit verzerren, zu begegnen. Vor diesem Hintergrund hebt der Bericht mehrere Maßnahmen hervor, die Gedenkstätten und Museen ergreifen können, um die Auswirkungen der verschiedenen Formen der Holocaust-Verzerrung in den sozialen Medien zu verringern.
WARUM IST DIE VERZERRUNG DES HOLOCAUSTS EIN ANLIEGEN DER ZIVILGESELLSCHAFT?
Missbrauch, Ausreden, falsche Darstellungen und Manipulationen der Geschichte des Holocausts sind auf allen Ebenen der Gesellschaft zu finden. Dabei handelt es sich keineswegs um ein Randphänomen: Beispiele finden sich bei Regierungen, die versuchen, ihre historische Verantwortung zu minimieren, bei Verschwörungstheoretikern, welche jüdische Gemeinschaften mit Anschuldigungen konfrontieren ihr Leid zu ihrem Vorteil zu übertreiben, und bei Online-NutzerInnen, welche die mit dem Holocaust assoziierte Bilder und Sprache für politische, ideologische oder kommerzielle Zwecke verwenden, die nichts mit der Geschichte zu tun haben. Unabhängig von ihrer Form haben die Verzerrung des Holocausts und ihre potenziellen direkten oder indirekten Auswirkungen - Antisemitismus, Holocaust-Leugnung, Verschwörungsmythen und extremer Nationalismus - eine internationale Dimension und Relevanz, welche eine internationale Reaktion erfordern. Was die sozialen Medien anbelangt, so haben diese zwar Einzelpersonen und Gruppen die Möglichkeit gegeben, sich auf globaler Ebene zu vernetzen und sofortigen Zugang zu Informationen und Wissen zu erhalten, aber sie haben auch die Verbreitung von hasserfüllten Inhalten, einschließlich Antisemitismus, Holocaust-Leugnung und -Verzerrung in einem noch nie dagewesenen Ausmaß ermöglicht. WAS SIND DIE HERAUSFORDERUNGEN BEI DER BEKÄMPFUNG DER HOLOCAUST-VERZERRUNG?
Im Gegensatz zur Holocaust-Leugnung - dem Versuch, den Holocaust aus der Geschichte zu löschen - wird bei der Holocaust-Verzerrung, welche nicht immer leicht zu identifizieren ist, der Holocaust auf unterschiedliche Weise in Medien entschuldigt, verharmlost oder falsch dargestellt. Während weitgehend Einigkeit darüber besteht, dass die Leugnung des Holocausts durch Antisemitismus genährt wird, wird die Verzerrung des Holocausts entweder als eine Form des “sekundären Antisemitismus” oder als Manipulation der Geschichte des Holocausts und seiner Erinnerung zu unterschiedlichen Zwecken betrachtet. Obwohl missbräuchliche Geschichtsdarstellungen jedes historische Ereignis betreffen können, nimmt die Zahl Verzerrungen der Geschichte des Holocausts heute zu, wobei verschiedene Formen der Verzerrungen identifiziert werden können. Da es keine einzelne, generelle Maßnahme gegen alle Formen der Verzerrung gibt, müssen je nach geografischem oder sozialem Kontext verschiedene, spezifische Maßnahmen ergriffen werden.
WAS KÖNNEN GEDENKSTÄTTEN UND MUSEEN TUN, UM DER VERZERRUNG DES HOLOCAUSTS IN DEN SOZIALEN MEDIEN ENTGEGENZUWIRKEN?
Die Frage nach den Maßnahmen, mit denen Museen und Materialien zu diesem Zweck ausgestattet werden können, erfordert einen komplexen, ganzheitlichen Ansatz. Obwohl keine der Maßnahmen das Problem in Gänze lösen oder eingrenzen kann, ist es wichtig zu betonen, dass Museen und Gedenkstätten mehrere Maßnahmen zur Verfügung haben: Sie können dazu beitragen, das Wissen über den Holocaust vor allem bei jungen Menschen zu erweitern, indem sie Inhalte bereitstellen, welche den sprachlichen und medialen Gewohnheiten Jugendlicher entsprechen; sie können die Gemeinschaft der Social Media Fans und FollowerInnen aktiv einbeziehen, indem sie in die Schaffung eines ein sicheren und kooperativen Umfelds einbeziehen; sie können sich auf nationale oder lokale Besonderheiten der Verzerrung des Holocausts konzentrieren; sie können den Unterschied zwischen absichtlicher Verzerrung und Verzerrung aufgrund mangelnden Wissens erkennen; sie können in die berufliche Entwicklung und Weiterbildung des Personals investieren und sie können die internationale Zusammenarbeit und den Austausch durch den Aufbau von Netzwerken zwischen Gedenkstätten und Museen sowie mit anderen Holocaust-Einrichtungen, stärken.
The context. Abuse, excuse, misrepresentation and manipulation of the history of the Holocaust are far from a fringe phenomenon. They have an international dimension and considerable weight (e.g., governments that seek to minimize their historical responsibility, conspiracy theorists who accuse Jews of exaggerating their suffering for financial gain, and online users who make use of imagery and language associated with the Holocaust for political, ideological, or commercial purposes unrelated to its history). As for social media, while their rise has enabled individuals and groups to connect on a global level and to gain instant access to information and knowledge, they have also allowed dissemination and spread of hateful content, including antisemitism and Holocaust denial and distortion, at an unprecedented rate.
The problem. Although agencies and institutions concerned with Holocaust education and remembrance are well aware of the growing role of digital communication, there is little understanding of how small- and medium-sized Holocaust museums and memorials use social media to disseminate knowledge and memory of the Holocaust to the general public and to counter manipulation and distortion of Holocaust history. Both academic research and stakeholders have so far focused on the mission and practices of major Holocaust agencies, while neglecting to investigate the potential and critical issues that small and medium-sized museums and memorials face in both disseminating historical content and dealing with the phenomenon of distortion on social media.
The contribution. This project focuses on a group of Holocaust museums and memorials located in two countries – Italy and Germany – in order to investigate their use of the main social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube - for the purposes of disseminating historical content, carrying out commemorative practices and countering the spread of Holocaust distortion. The project adopts an approach that conceives social media as a positive technology both for detecting good practices and for exploring critical issues in the very use of social media themselves. The approach is based on an investigative method that employs a range of quantitative and qualitative research tools. The idea is to analyse how museums and memorials use social media to expand Holocaust knowledge and memory, especially among the younger generations, and to activate groups of users and co-creators involved in user-generated content to protect the facts about the Holocaust and mitigate the challenges of distortion.
The results. The various analyses carried out in the project have revealed a number of good practices and limitations that can currently be found in the social media profiles of the surveyed museums and memorials. Furthermore, although Holocaust remembrance has become a global, transcultural phenomenon, especially within European countries, national differences also exist between different local environments. The results achieved have made it possible to identify a number of current limitations, such as a mismatch between scholarly debates and public knowledge, limited bi-directional interaction with social media users, and the provision of materials that are not generally suitable for younger generations. A number of recommendations and guidelines have also been produced, such as further expanding historical knowledge of the Holocaust, investigating users’ preconceptions and biases, promoting the digital culture of remembrance, actively involving the follower/fan communities, and networking between entities with limited resources to share good practices and plan joint activities. These are all measures that Holocaust museums and memorials may adopt to encourage the development of forms of Holocaust knowledge and remembrance that are participatory, innovative and critical.
The institutions vary widely in age, ranging from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and Památník Terezín, established in 1947, to the most recent KL Plaszow Museum and Memorial in Krakow, opened in 2021. In terms of type, they are mostly Memorial Sites (54%), Holocaust Museums (38%) and Former Concentration Camps (41%), but War and Military and Virtual museums are also included in the sample.
Almost all the institutions have a website (99%) and 61 out of 69 (88%) reported using SM as a communication channel.
Key Findings
• Attitudes towards social media are globally positive, with 96% of respondents that consider SM beneficial for the museum/memorial and an important means for outreach (91%). While respondents consider SM a worthwhile investment (83%), they also expressed a need for dedicated resources to be set aside for SM (72%), with 54% reporting that SM require more resources than the museum can currently afford.
• 59% of the institutions using SM have been doing so for over three years.
• The Museums/memorials that use SM tend to concentrate on a few platforms. Facebook is the most frequently used (87% use it daily or weekly), followed by Instagram (62%, daily and weekly use) and Twitter (45%, daily and weekly use).
• 48% of the institutions have an internal SM manager, while only 10% use an external SM Manager. In 31% of cases, the Director is in charge of social media profiles. Persons in charge of SM profiles have specific expertise in SM management or marketing only in 38% of cases. .
• In terms of SM content, the institutions tend to publish mainly educational material (80%), to use SM for sharing information about activities and initiatives (74%) and to organise educational events (70%) often or very often.
• 90% of the respondents reported that their institution follows the SM profile of other museums/memorials and 67% declared that they draw inspiration from those profiles.
• Only 30% reported the intention to change their SM policies and strategies, mostly to diversify content according to the nature of the different platforms, to develop specific content for SM, to increase the number of platforms used, and to improve strategies and interaction with followers/fans.
• As for changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic, 89% reported pandemic-induced changes in various activities. Most institutions have increased the number of online events (79%), the frequency of posting (75%), and the variety of contents (74%). Other activities such as fundraising campaigns (80%) and contests/competitions (79%) have remained constant, while training on SM marketing has only increased in 25% of cases.
The framework serves the purpose of providing guidance on how to classify information pertaining to three major domains: Historical content of the Holocaust, Contemporary issues related to the Holocaust, and Museum activities and communication. Each domain comprises a set of macro and micro categories, for each of which a definition and examples have been given. Depending on the nature of the posts, some categories may be selected, and others ignored.
Key Findings
• This Delphi study involved a comprehensive panel of 22 international experts who, in a three round process, reached consensus on a framework composed of a set of macro and micro categories organised into three domains that are suitable for capturing the various topics addressed by Holocaust museums in their social media profiles in the field of Digital Holocaust Memory.
• The framework was extensively revised from Round 1 to Round 2, while Round 3 served the purpose of refining some micro categories and their definitions.
• The final framework comprises three domains and is constituted by 18 macro categories and 68 micro categories.
• Periodisation of historical content, agency and stages of the Holocaust remain open issues as there is still much debate among historians about these notions.
Sono state raccolte un numero di risposte pari a 6139, con un tasso di restituzione del 10,5%. Il campione ha evidenziato caratteristiche sovrapponibili a quelle della popolazione rispetto ad alcune variabili socio-demografiche e professionali (genere, ruolo, area scientifico-disciplinare, tipologia di ateneo, area geografica della sede universitaria).
Per quanto riguarda l’uso personale, il 92,1% ha dichiarato di usare almeno un Social Media, con una frequenza variabile tra Raramente e Almeno una volta al giorno. Gli strumenti più diffusi sono risultati YouTube-Vimeo (66,0%), Facebook (51,2%) e Google Plus (49,6%).
Per quanto riguarda l’uso didattico, il 30,9% del campione ha dichiarato di non usare alcuno strumento. Tra quelli che li usano, con una frequenza variabile tra Raramente e Almeno una volta al giorno, lo strumento più diffuso è risultato YouTube-Vimeo (39,3%), seguito da Google Plus (29,6%) e Blog-Wiki (28,7%).
Infine, sull’uso professionale, il 79,7% dichiara di usare almeno un Social Media, con una frequenza variabile tra Raramente e Almeno una volta al giorno. Gli strumenti più usati sono risultati ResearchGate o Academia.edu (50,4%), LinkedIn (37,9%) e Google Plus (36,4%).
Se la percentuale relativa all’utilità di questi strumenti per uso personale si attesta sul 58,9%, quella specifica sull’uso per scopi di insegnamento e di didattica è risultata del 38,6%; infine, l’utilità rilevata per scopi professionali è stata del 53,9%.
I Social Media considerati più utili per uso personale sono Facebook, YouTube-Vimeo e Google Plus. Quelli considerati più utili per uso didattico sono YouTube-Vimeo, Google Plus e i Blog-Wiki. Per scopi di sviluppo professionale quelli più utili risultano, invece, ResearchGate o Academia.edu e LinkedIn.
L’indagine ha approfondito in modo particolare l’esplorazione degli usi didattici e per l’insegnamento, con particolare riguardo per le modalità attraverso cui questi strumenti vengono usati e per gli ostacoli che ne possono impedire l’uso.
La percentuale di chi li considera utili o interessanti scende quando ci si trova di fronte a quella degli abituali utilizzatori, che è risultata del 35,2%. Tra le modalità di utilizzo, la visione di materiali già predisposti è stata privilegiata in ambienti quali YouTube-Vimeo, SlideShare e ResearchGate-Academia.edu; il commento di materiali ha prevalso su Facebook e Twitter, mentre la produzione di nuovi materiali o elaborati è stata affidata principalmente ai Blog-Wiki e a Google Plus. In generale si sottolinea la proprietà di questi ambienti di fornire molteplici fonti informative e di varia natura (esperti, documenti, siti, ecc.) per la predisposizione e fruizione delle lezioni e la valenza dialogico-comunicativa nella misura in cui sono in grado di supportare discussioni e scambi che si estendono oltre la lezione stessa.
Tra le ragioni di impedimento risultano, invece, soprattutto i problemi relativi all’accertamento dell’autenticità dei contributi prodotti dagli studenti, la mancanza di funzionalità specifiche per la didattica e la carenza di buone pratiche per alcuni strumenti.
Molte sono anche le posizioni critiche o contrarie che enfatizzano l’insuperabilità dell’efficacia della tradizionale lezione frontale o di fonti di studio quali i libri cartacei, una spiccata preferenza per il rapporto diretto (faccia-a-faccia) tra docente e studenti, mente si guarda ai Social Media come causa di un’eccessiva perdita di tempo e di indebolimento dei ruoli tradizionali di studente e docente, oltre che come portatori di rischi per la privacy. Quando esiste un’apertura verso l’uso di strumenti tecnologici, vengono privilegiate applicazioni non commerciali e soprattutto la piattaforma e-learning di ateneo, che fornisce maggiori garanzie in termini di privacy e di neutralità dell’informazione.
Complessivamente dall’indagine emergono due principali tendenze. La prima riguarda un atteggiamento positivo che si esprime soprattutto con l’importanza che questi strumenti possono avere per l’ambito personale e la crescita professionale, mentre maggiori resistenze e scetticismo vengono riportate per un loro impiego didattico. La seconda evidenzia posizioni di profondo scetticismo, di forti resistenze culturali o di vera e propria ostilità: dispersività, ridondanza, distrazione, perdita o mancanza di tempo, assenza di supporto istituzionale, restrizioni nell’accesso ad alcuni siti da parte della rete telematica di ateneo, mancanza di funzionalità didattiche specifiche e gap generazionale si confermano come fattori che generano scarso interesse verso l’adozione dei Social Media nei contesti universitari.
Conferenza internazionale su: “MOOC, apprendimento delle lingue e mobilità”
“Digital literacy e media education nell’epoca dei social media: quali competenze?” di Stefania Manca
“Per una didattica informata da evidenze” di Giuliano Vivanet
“Flipped classroom: lo stato dell’arte” di Graziano Cecchinato
“La verifica e la valutazione delle competenze linguistiche e glottodidattiche” di Roberto Tomassetti
“Perché la grammatica valenziale?” di Riccardo Fiorenza