Practising Language Interaction via Social Networking Sites (original) (raw)
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This paper aims to report on partial findings of a research study that intends to explore how Social Networking Sites for Language Learning (SNSLL) can be integrated into English classes of a BA program in the Teaching of Modern Languages. More specifically, this paper reports on the students' perceptions before and during the implementation of a SNSLL (Busuu). The data was gathered through two collection techniques: surveys and learning logs. Concerning the participants’ perceptions before the use of Busuu, the data analysis shows that, despite some concerns about communicative ability and personal privacy, they perceived this kind of virtual communities as effective platforms to learn EFL through genuine interaction with other users. Although the students’ perceptions during the use of Busuu involved some usability limitations and technical issues, they reiterated the potential of this SNSLL to not only facilitate language learning, but also foster intercultural development an...
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The current study aims to present a critical analysis of research on social networking sites (SNSs) in second language teaching and learning (L2TL) context. Twenty-two studies published from 2011 to 2017 were included in the analysis through the selection criteria devised by the researcher. The descriptive analysis reveals that Facebook was the most commonly explored medium, and more than half of the studies featured English language learners in various levels. Following the content analysis of the studies, the emerging aspects of the literature review are treated under five overarching themes: practicing multiple language areas and literacies; authenticity and negotiation of meaning through interaction; development of intercultural competence and socio-pragmatic awareness; membership in L2 communities; and (re)construction of identities. Following an account of pedagogical considerations such as the dynamics of classroom, technical features, and various cultural uses of the SNSs, the study concludes with suggestions and directions for future research in regards to the incorporation of SNSs such as Facebook and Twitter into L2 classrooms.
Social Networking in Second Language Learning
… Understanding Media Today Barcelona May 23rd25th, 2011
This study is related to nowadays' knowledge society in the era of the Internet and aims to investigate the most important potentialities of the communities in Social Network Sites (SNSs) for second language (L2) learners. In this way, it would be possible to assess how to insert in formal learning activities some of the new forms of learning beyond the book that are taking place through the Web 2.0, taking into consideration that the term "learning" itself is being constantly explored and redefined according to the needs of Web 2.0 learners and to the new possibilities offered by our era. My research, in particular, attempts to raise awareness of some of the complex issues (learner autonomy, motivation, collaboration) surrounding learning taking place on SNS communities referring to the context of in informal L2 learning and reframing these communities as Personal Learning Environments (PLEs). Ethnographic data (e.g. rich accounts of learners' perceptions about their experiences in learning a language on SNSs, interviews and electronic discourse) will paint a picture of learners' behaviour when interacting in these social spaces and sharing videos, pictures, games related to their target language. In this way, I will be able to map out possible difficulties and opportunities for further research into the potential use of SNSs for second language learners.
The use of social network sites for second and foreign (L2) language learning and teaching has recently gained attention by practitioners and researchers of applied linguistics and L2 education. Informed by socially informed theories of language learning and computer-assisted language learning (CALL) studies, researchers have examined L2 learning and use in non-educational or vernacular sites like Facebook, L2 pedagogy using vernacular sites, and the use of commercial social networks designed specifically for language learning, like LiveMocha. Findings implicate the role of self-organized, autonomous learning processes, the development of socio-collaborative learning community, and the challenges of balancing the learning benefits emergent from the user-driven agency of everyday use with the demands to meet formal curriculum-driven objectives. After a brief discussion of influences and definitions, this chapter examines, analyzes, and synthesizes selected research that illustrates these findings, concluding with problems and future directions.
Behaviour & Information Technology
Social media is seen as a powerful driver of change for language teaching and learning. Many studies have looked at the use and adoption rates of social media in language education, but studies that take a more fine-grained understanding of the differences between individual features of social media and how they are perceived by learners and teachers are rare. We present an analysis of the results of two workshops in a UK university that illustrate disparities between how individual features of social media are used generally, and how they are used for educational purposes between learners and teachers of languages. To understand the underlying perceptions of and attitudes towards features of social media we performed an inductive thematic analysis of discussion data generated at the workshops. From this we surface three themes: social media as distinct language type; navigating appropriateness; and prioritizing authentic communication flow. From these themes, we offer four design recommendations for practitioners and researchers who wish to incorporate social media in language teaching. These recommendations are: pay attention to the specific features of social media, and design to utilise them effectively; prioritise learner-led and learner-owned use of social media; create structured pathways to authentic social media use; and incorporate social media in both traditional and new methods of assessment. As research in computer-assisted language learning has shown, social media potentially offers benefits for language learning when integrated into curricula (Greenhow & Askari, 2017; Stefania Manca & Ranieri, 2016; Toetenel, 2014). Social media could be an excellent platform to complement classroom methods in terms of delivering complex socio-pragmatic knowledge through spontaneous interaction with people of different age and social status. However, different social media sites and applications act as specific socio-technical systems (van Dijck, 2013), offering very different features and services (e.g. text, audio, video messaging, and calls), and offer different possibilities and opportunities for configuration and appropriation. Whilst this means that social media language learning can provide a tailor-made platform to meet individual learners' needs and fit with individual learners' preferred style of learning, it also naturally has implications for the effective incorporation of social media into language teaching. This heterogeneity is further compounded by the interrelated issue of how different social medias are perceived and used by learners and teachers. Different applications are associated with different functions (e.g. work, play, socialising), different sets of interpersonal relationships (e.g. professional, familial, peers) (Nouwens, Griggio, & Mackay, 2017) and are informed by different cultural contexts (van Dijck, 2013) which, again, will affect the outcome of attempting to incorporate social media into language teaching.
Social Networking Sites and Language Learning
International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, 2011
This article examines a study of seven learners who logged their experiences on the language leaning social networking site Livemocha over a period of three months. The features of the site are described and the likelihood of their future success is considered. The learners were introduced to the Social Networking Site (SNS) and asked to learn a language on the site. They were positive about two aspects of the site: the immediate peer-feedback available and the ability to converse synchronously and asynchronously with native speakers of their target language. However, there was universal criticism of the “word-list” based language learning materials and several participants complained about the regular cyber-flirting they encountered. Other aspects of the site including accessibility, ease of use, syllabus, activities, and relationships with other members are also considered. The potential for integrating some of the features of SNSs for language learning into the Higher Education (...
2016
As the social, political and economic structures of the world become more globally integrated, incorporating international experiences into higher education curricula becomes increasingly more desirable. Moreover, the concept of social computing has revitalised an interest in peer learning and collaboration, notions that have a longer history within the area of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). Globalization and the information-technology revolution demand that students develop not only the intellectual skills but also the communicative skills to integrate in this different societal texture where English as a global language and websites, blogs or social networking sites (SNS), among others are employed by individuals and small groups around the world. Each of these technological innovations brings with it a need to master not only the technology but the new cultural codes which it engenders. English seems to have joined this list of basic skills and its function and...