Communication Technology and Education

Communication Technology and Education

Chapter 4: ICT with Online Discussion
Using Social Media as a Language Learning Tools

Introduction

Nowadays, social media can be referred to as “social networking”, “social software”, and “Web 2.0”. In the past, they called it as “Information Communication Technologies”, “Computer Conferencing”, or “Online Discussion Groups” (Kenny, 2015). Historically, the usage of social media is to have an online presence on the Internet for the one-way broadcasting and dissemination of information (Hew, 2011). Today, it had been driving into new forms of dialogue, exchange, collaboration and social interaction such as Facebook and Twitter.

Social media sites which referred more broadly to as social media enables users to exchange ideas,post updates and comments, or involve in activities and events while sharing their wider interests (McCarthy, 2013). Social networks are now used for a host of different reasons by various user communitiesfrom general chit-chat to propagating breaking news, and from scheduling a date to following election results or coordinating disaster response as well as from gentle humor to serious research (McCarthy, 2013).

The functions of social media services are not just creating fast-flowing online conversations between the Internet users, it also helps in assisting users to follow-up the latest news, keep in touch with friends or colleagues, and also learning process and contribute to online debates (McCarthy, 2013). As a result, online users’ behavior has been transformed in terms of users’ initial entry point, search, browsing and purchasing behavior (McCarthy, 2013).

Besides that,suggested by some experts that social media will soon become the Internet’s new search function. They are predicting that user will search for information or making decisions based on “word-of-mouth” recommendations from theirso-called “friend-casting”, instead of spending more time on navigating the Internet independently. During the process, social media are changing users’ expectations of privacy, acceptable online behavior and etiquette (McCarthy, 2013).

Why social media act as a teaching and learning method?

According to Shih (2010), an effective teaching and learning experience could be created for both instructors and students by social media learning that integrates online and face to face instruction. Additionally, based on the results of the same study, students’ motivation to participate actively in class can be enhanced through social media learning(Kenny, 2015).

The interaction between the students and teachers is vital as it may influence the students’ learning motivation and effectiveness (Kenny, 2015).In addition, Shih (2010) pointed out that structured activities for group members that involved in cooperative learning allow students to reflect on and evaluate their work in the group while providing suggestions and comments for improvement.

Few years ago, social media learning which alsocan be known as cooperative learning has attracted more attention and emphasis from the social constructivist perspective. In this type of cooperative learning environment, students are able to sustain the interrelationships among group members through effective group communications and discussions. Many studies have shown that the effectiveness of online peer assessment in promoting students’ performance and learning satisfaction and processes(Shih, 2010).

Besides that, a positive experience for both instructors and students can be created through the social media learning that combines online learning with face to face instruction and also facilitating the online collaborative learning (Shih, 2010). Moreover, learners’ motivation, participation, and collaboration can also being enhanced by using online peer assessment as an alternative to face to face communication(Shih, 2010).

According to Hammond (2005), social network helps the user to find companions for an evening’s conversation or for some portion of the daily round by providing a pool for them to start up the conversation.

Although there are many functions and benefits gained from social network and media sites, they may also causing risks to the users. For example, they have influenced the ways of how we communicate with each other. This can then lead to people to harm themselves by posting unsafe or inappropriate information about themselves and their personal lives online as well as create the opportunities for offenders to groom and abuse children (Kent, 2011).

The boundaries between the “real” world and the “virtual” can become blurred. This may eventually create potentially serious consequences for staff, parents and children who may not be aware of the risks behind everyday online activity (Kent, 2011).

Five ways of using social media in Language Teaching

There’s no denying that enthusiasm for learning foreign languages amongst our children is at an all-time low(Gibson, 2012). Teachers and parents will need to get smarter if things are going to be changed. Social media has been used for sharing experiences, tips and resources. However, when you search for terms such as “language learning”on any of the major social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+, you still will not get to find an abundance secure, and interactive language learning environments (Gibson, 2012).

Today, children are default to social media in nearly every aspects of their life. Social media act as the tools for them to communicate with their friends, play games and watch TV. Thus, there are 5 ways to start engage with your children or students on social media:

1.      Create a Facebook page that your class can 'like' it.

Start posting updates to your timeline, but not in English. Ask your pupils to translate the text using Facebook's in-line Bing translation tool and ask them to gauge its accuracy (Gibson, 2012).

2.      Create a Twitter account.

Start tweeting in a foreign language, keeping in mind that you have a 140 character limit, and see if your pupils can strike up a conversation with you (Gibson, 2012).Impose a non-English only reply and retweet rule.

3.      Create a YouTube account.

Ask each of your pupils to record a video blog, or 'vlog', of their hobbies, thoughts or opinions on topical news stories, but speaking only in a foreign language (Gibson, 2012). Those who want to have their video uploaded should send it to you first.

4.      Create a Pinterest account.

Take some pictures of prompt cards, post-it notes or even objects with their description in another language and 'pin' them on your boards. You could even look for photos of the country, or infographics about languages in general, to help your pupils understand more about why they should learn it (Gibson, 2012).

5.      Create a blog or Tumblr.

Dedicate it entirely to publish content in the language you teach (Gibson, 2012). Show your pupils why you love the language and inspire them to do the same. Ask them to write something, however small, and post it for the whole world to admire it.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, social media has been transformed to a new world technology that bringing a lot of functions to the users. It has creates convenience to the users as well as creating risk that might harm the user. Therefore, more concern and attention should be applied on social media as it has becoming a more and more vital things in everyone’s life nowadays.

References

Gibson, R. (2012). Using social media as a language learning tool. Retrieved from http://www.kelsi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/30067/Using-social-media-in-educational-settings.pdf

Hammond, M. (2005) A review of recent papers on online discussion in teaching and learning in Higher Education: Online Learning.Journal of Asynchronous Learning, 9(3).

Hew, K. F. (2011). Students’ and teachers’ use of Facebook.Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 662-676.

Kenny, M. A. (2015). Using social media in language teaching and learning: Some pedagogical and technological considerations.Retrieved fromhttp://www.onevoiceforlanguages.com/uploads/2/4/6/7/24671559/using_social_media_in_language_teaching_and_learning.pdf

Kent, C. C. (2011). Using social media and technology in educational settings: Considerations, guidance and risk assessment templates for schools and educational settings considering the use of social media. Retrieved from http://www.kelsi.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/30067/Using-social-media-in-educational-settings.pdf

McCarthy, J. (2013). Online networking: Integrating international students into first year university through the strategic use of participatory media. Information Science Reference, 3(4), 189-191.

O’Bannon, B., Beard, J. & Britt, V. (2010).Using Facebook as an educational tool: Effects on achievement. US: The University of Tennessee.

Roodt, S., de Villiers, C., Johnston, K., Ophoff, J., &Peier, D. (2014).YouTube as an academic tool for ICT lecturers.Proceedings of the e-Skills for Knowledge Production and Innovation Conference 2014, 389-399.

Shih, R. C. (2011). Can Web 2.0 technology assist college students in learning English writing: Integrating Facebook and peer assessment with blended learning.Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 27 (5), 829-845.