Facilitating the Implementation of the Constructivist Approach through the Social Space of Facebook

The proliferation of Facebook use among students and teachers has created a new learning culture by providing innovative ways for teachers to enable learners to engage actively in different learning activities. This paper investigates the potential use of Facebook, to support faculty in implementing a social constructivist approach to facilitate student-centred learning. To alleviate problems arising from poor student engagement in large classes, 240 students from An-Najah National University, Palestine, enrolled in four sections of an undergraduate Educational Technology course, were encouraged to participate in a number of formative activities through Facebook. The contributions of learners during the semester were analyzed. Students were also asked to evaluate their experience through a questionnaire. The results show that Facebook´s technological affordances provide valuable support for pedagogical change. Facebook is an engaging and enjoyable tool for digital native learners to be active participants in constructing their knowledge through social interaction. Despite being heavily immersed in Facebook, students are not familiar to use this technology in their learning. Therefore, to take full advantages of this technology, academics should recognize the inherent value of Facebook and rethink its deployment in ways that foster student engagement, interaction and collaboration in a more constructivist and effective learning environment.