Social networks and their use in education

The term itself has its origin in the English language. Originally, it meant a community. It was a group of people who interacted with one another. Today this term is mainly connected with the Internet. Likewise the Internet, social networks penetrate all the spheres of human life and they are becoming a phenomenon of modern times. People use them not only for entertainment but also as a means of their business and educational tool. The purpose of this article is to discuss four foreign social networks and one Czech social network with a focus on their potential for educational purposes. In addition, the authors of this article present the results of a focus interview survey which explores some of the issues connected with the use of social networks in education.