ICTS AND GENETICS: SOCIAL NETWORKS IN TEACHING

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have grown enormously in the last few years. At the same time, the application of these technologies in education has showed a remarkable development. The increasing use of social networks by students has made ICTs viable for educative purposes. Since October 2009, we have used the blog “Ciber-Genetica” (cibergenetica.blogspot.mx) to support Genetics classes in Biology Major at Sciences Faculty of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). In 2010, we implemented the use of three different social networks: Facebook (facebook.com/ciber.gentica.unam), Twitter (@cibergenetica) and YouTube (youtube.com/user/CiberGeneticaUNAM) to increase the interest in the area. These services available online provided information about the news and events related to Genetics major Additionally, we have uploaded presentations and videos created by our group. The use of these social networks has been widely accepted by our students and also has allowed greater interaction between students and teachers.