Oriol Miralbell's_research

After more than two years working on the theoretical framework for my PhD research on “Evaluating Online Social Networks in generating knowledge among tourism professionals”, together with my two directors Dr. Francesc González Reverté and Dr. Jaume Guia, i’ve reached the point to launch the survey which is the first visible part of the epirical study.

I’m happy to be at the point where the first outcomes are visible, after this long period of readings and discussions, of questioning and asking to experts and friends about online social networks as learning environments.
I’m really excited on the possible results of the analysis I will do once I receive the information from you, the experts. At the same time, I fear I won’t ger enough responses from all of you.
This is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the web 2.0 tools and to have a better picture from this new and still unknown Network Society. I have found in this study one of the most exciting intellectual activities I’ve ever had. It has stressed from me all the rational and intellectual abilities I had, if I ever had one. It has kept me connected to the issue all time I was awakened and sometime in my dreams too.
Thus I want this project to finish with a set of conclusions that can help us all, users, academics, experts and, in general, followers of the web 2.0 and the social media and of e-learning to get more from it.
I’d like to invite you to participate in this survey that is directed to all those professionals, business people, academics, consultants, experts and lovers of tourism, that use online social networks to communicate and learn.

Here’s the link for the survey in SPANISH and here’s it ENGLISH.

I want to thank you in advance for your help by answering to this survey, that will take you only 15 minutes of your time.
I WISH YOU A PEACEFUL XMAS TIME AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Every morning when I get up (i’ts difficult to say what I look like, because I hate to get up early) I get more and more surprised by the huge amount of twitts and blog posts, and the updates in facebook from my friends and people I follow. It’s incredible how these messages can bring me into so many different lifes- They use to happen close to me, or maybe at the other side of the world. It doesn’t matter because all these lifes are related to mine. The same as these toughts are linked to mines.
So, at the end of the day I’m exhausted but happy because I’ve lived so many lifes in one day.
It’s great to have all these hundreds digital friends and mentors in the big social network of my life.
Thanks to all of them!

This site is intended to be an instrument of communication in my academic research. Actually I’m working on my PhD Thesis and after two years of readings and observations I’m at the point of finishing the queationnaire for the survey I want to launch in the coming weeks.

Parallel to this research I’m following the CCK09 course that George Siemens and Stephen Downes are coordinating over the Internet. I strongly recommend this course to all rthose qho are interested in e-learning, knowledge sharing and connective or cooperative learning.

I hope and wish that this site becomes a forum for debate and knowledge generation.