Other social networking sites

YouTube

A video-based SNS and an excellent resource for input in the target language. Examples of how it could be used include listening to target language speakers’ video-logs, searching for songs, and exploring users’ comments under videos.

Pinterest

A visual SNS used to collect ideas and organize them in collections, also called “boards.” Students can create collaborative e-portfolios or stories. Students might choose to create an art gallery with captions or a visual journal by posting images related to their own understanding of the target culture.

WhatsApp

A mobile group messaging application that enables users to send text messages and voice messages, share images and videos, as well as other media. Within this platform students may create an audio and photo diary addressing a particular cultural topic of interest. This application can also be used to informally expose students to cultural topics throughout the semester, for example by sending news links or target-language-specific memes.

Tumblr

A blogging platform that allows to easily set up a personal blog. On Tumblr students may collaborate on a blog investigating the presence of the target language and culture within their own community. With the dedicated mobile application, students can easily take photos with their phones and upload them to a blog.

Recommended readings

Al-Ali, S. (2014). Embracing the selfie craze: exploring the possible use of Instagram as a language m-learning tool. Issues and Trends in Educational Technology, 2(2), 1-16.

  • This article discusses how Instagram can be utilized as a learning tool to create content and foster students’ speaking and writing skills. The use of Instagram allowed students to generate ideas for their writing activities with contextually-relevant content and offered them a learning experience that they enjoyed.

Antenos-Conforti, E. (2009). Microblogging on Twitter: Social networking in intermediate Italian classes. In L. Lomicka & G. Lord (Eds.), The next generation: Social networking and online collaboration in foreign language learning (pp. 59-90). San Marcos, Texas: CALICO.

  • This article describes Twitter as a language learning tool that can be used for microblogging. Participants posted tweets based on prompts provided by the teacher and results show that the interest in Italian culture increased as a result of using Twitter. The social network provided a more authentic opportunity for interaction and purposeful conversation.

Blattner, G., & Fiori, M. (2009). Facebook in the language classroom: Promises and possibilities. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 6(1), 17-28.

  • In this article the authors discuss the group feature of Facebook and how it may benefit language learners by providing a space for authentic language interaction and the development of socio-pragmatic awareness.

Godwin-Jones, R. (2017). Smartphones and language learning. Language Learning and Technology, 21(2), 3–17.

  • In this article the author provides an overview of the usage of mobile devices for language learning starting from 2007. Situated learning, local and global integration, and personal empowerment are identified as powerful factors that allow learners to access linguistic and cultural resources, acquire new knowledge and skills, and increase social connectivity.

Kim, D., Rueckert, D., Kim, D. J., & Seo, D. (2013). Students’ perceptions and experiences of mobile learning. Language Learning & Technology, 17(3), 52–73.

  • The aim of this article is to explore language learners’ perceptions of mobile learning outside of the classroom context. Participants took part in six projects with the goal of exploring mobile learning experiences. The chosen mobile applications included YouTube and VoiceThread. Responses and participants’ reflections show that mobile technologies have the potential to be used as engaging tools for language learning outside of the classroom.

Works cited

  1. ACTFL 21st Century Skills Map (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/21stCenturySkillsMap/p21_worldlanguagesmap.pdf
  2. ACTFL Global Competence Position Statement (2014). Retrieved from: https://www.actfl.org/news/position-statements/global-competence-position-statement
  3. ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. Retrieved from: https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/publications/standards/World-ReadinessStandardsforLearningLanguages.pdf
  4. Cutshall, S. (2012). More than a decade of standards: Integrating “cultures” in your language instruction. The Language Educator, 7(3), 32-37.
  5. Lantolf, J. P. (2000). Second language learning as a mediated process. Language teaching, 33(2), 79-96.
  6. Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  7. Lomicka, L., & Lord, G. (2016). Social networking and language learning. In F. Farr, & L. Murray (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of language learning and technology (pp. 255–268). Basingstoke: Taylor & Francis.
  8. Nava, A., & Pedrazzini, L. (2018). Second language acquisition in action: Principles from practice. Bloomsbury: Bloomsbury Publishing.
  9. Pew Research Center: Internet, social media use and device ownership in U.S. have plateaued after years of growth (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/28/internet-social-media-use-and-device-ownership-in-u-s-have-plateaued-after-years-of-growth/
  10. Pew Research Center: Mobile Facts Sheet (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/
  11. Pew Research Center: Share of U.S. adults using social media, including Facebook, is mostly unchanged since 2018 (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/10/share-of-u-s-adults-using-social-media-including-facebook-is-mostly-unchanged-since-2018/