Social networking and language learning

Our increasing dependence on and use of various technological tools has impacted every facet of our lives, and language teaching and learning are no exception. Educators regularly incorporate a variety of tools (Thorne and Payne, 2005) to engage their students and to allow them to interact in new and different ways, both in class and beyond the walls of the classroom. In particular, popular social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Edmodo, and LinkedIn offer educators even more ways to help students increase motivation and reinvigorate the classroom climate (Mazer et al., 2007). Social networking tools such as these, and others, also provide opportunities for language learners to enhance digital and multiliteracy skills, interact in and through the target language, work collaboratively, and enhance their linguistic and pragmatic proficiency (Blattner and Fiori, 2011; Blattner and Lomicka, 2012b; Lomicka and Lord, 2012; Mills 2011). This chapter examines the theoretical underpinnings of using social networking in language learning, as well as how social networking tools can be effective in the classroom. Specifically, we look at current pedagogical practices that are linked to social networking communities. Moreover, we examine prominent studies thus far in the field that help to shed light on key issues and considerations in the use of social networks in the language classroom. This chapter explores second language (L2) learning and teaching with technology, specifically in the area of social networking (SN). SN represents one aspect of social media, which has the broader focus of creating and transmitting information to others. SN is more about the tools used to make that content available to others and to allow users to connect, engage with it, and to build communities. According to Grahl (2013) social media can be categorised into six different but overlapping categories, which include: (1) social networks (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn); (2) bookmarking sites (e.g., Delicious, StumbleUpon); (3) social news (e.g., Digg, Reddit); (4) media sharing (e.g., Instagram, YouTube, Flickr); (5) microblogging (e.g., Twitter); and (6) blogging, particularly comments and forums. The popularity of SN tools has increased dramatically over the past years. The upsurge of online social interaction may be attributed in part to a desire to connect with new people, to share opinions, to stay in touch with old friends and colleagues, and to share different types of information with a widespread community of followers. Simply put, there is a desire to develop and maintain online relationships that lead to community building, self-expression and interaction with others (Thorne 2010). In situations that involve the L2, these types of relationships can be built or maintained in a language other than one’s own within a shared community, which makes them appealing to language educators. Yet, despite this potential, and despite SN’s popularity for personal interaction, it has not been as widely embraced in education. Lepi (2013) reports on a recent study by the Babson Survey Research Group and Pearson Education of 8,000 faculty members, and notes that while “faculty have adopted some social media use in their personal life, fewer have done so professionally” (n.p.). Although there are an increasing number of academic studies related to various social media tools, many of them are not empirically based, nor do they offer strong theoretical advances. In the area of L2 learning, recent studies have only begun to investigate the potential that social networking sites (SNS) have for the classroom (Blattner and Fiori 2009; 2011; Blattner and Lomicka 2012a and 2012b; McBride 2009; Mills 2011; Mitchell 2012; Reinhardt and Zander 2011 and 2013; Stevenson and Liu 2010; Sykes and Holden 2011), as will be discussed below. The next section addresses various theoretical approaches that have been associated with SN in the L2 classroom. We then examine the principal contributions that researchbased studies have provided, and address the practical aspects of incorporating SN tools into the classroom. We conclude by looking at the future of SN in language learning. 1. THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO L2 LEARNING AND SN For educators interested in incorporating aspects of SN with their learners, it is crucial to keep in mind the theory and current pedagogical stances that underlie language learning with technology. According to Blyth (2008), there are four distinct categories to language learning research: technological, psycholinguistic, sociocultural, and ecological. Technological approaches include studies that report on new technologies as they move from being used in society to their pedagogical application in the classroom, as well as how teachers and students react to their use. Studies driven by psycholinguistic theories integrate the interaction hypothesis and noticing, while sociocultural research, based on Vygotsky’s theories of social learning within communities, looks at how learning is mediated within those contexts (please see Chapter 2 of this volume by Hubbard and Levy for further reading). Finally, ecological approaches attempt to consider the whole context of a project and examine how all of the parts of a learning environment, such as the students, teachers, environment, and technological tools, work together to form the whole. Each of these four approaches to language learning is examined in turn to explore how SN fits within the various perspectives. Technological Approaches Technological theories are those that Blyth (2008) describes as a development stage, consisting of explorative and descriptive studies. These types of studies aim at assessing the potential benefits of the particular tool. Although, as Blyth points out, these studies are often criticized for their perceived lack of theoretical framework, they do contribute to the field by introducing new technologies to educators in L2 contexts. They also discuss how these tools may change the perception of traditional learning in the classroom. In terms of SN, preliminary studies such as Stevenson and Liu’s (2010) analysis of three SNS (Live Mocha, Palabea, and Babbel) investigate how they are used for language learning and social purposes. Their 2010 study showed that learners initially showed a greater interest in web 1.0 technology. Consistent with Blyth’s claims, studies such as this one are helpful for teachers seeking to use a particular social networking tool and pave the way for further research in the area of social networking. Psycholinguistic Approaches Psycholinguistic approaches to language acquisition are focused on the importance of social interaction and noticing. For example, Long’s (1985, 1996) Interaction Hypothesis holds that language development is brought about by person-to-person communication and the linguistic interactions that take place. Proponents of such interactionist approaches (e.g., Chapelle 1997, 1998) highlight the crucial role that input, interaction, and output have on language learning. Input in the target language is essential (e.g., Krashen, 1994), and input that is comprehensible but slightly beyond the level of the learner (i + 1) provides direct information about the language and serves to illustrate what patterns are and are not evidenced in language. Additionally, input that is comprehensible is most likely to be noticed (e.g., Schmidt 1990, 1995) and processed by learners. When negotiation of meaning is required, either due to a gap in the learner’s knowledge or through a breakdown in communication and the need for comprehension checks and communication strategies, it leads in turn to the output that a learner produces. Swain and Lapkin (1995), for example, have proposed the Comprehensible Output Hypothesis to explain how learning is facilitated precisely by the need to produce language. Such interactionist approaches seem to be ideally suited as a basis for exploring the role of SN tools in language learning, given their emphasis on connecting learners to provide increased input, engage in negotiation of meaning, and require output. In fact, seminal research in CALL has long advocated the exploration of acquisition issues within an interactionist, psycholinguistic framework (e.g., Chapelle 1997, 1999; Salaberry 1999). For example, students can attend to the linguistic characteristics of the input from the speakers with whom they interact, they can reflect on their own language system and take note of their own errors, and use their computer-enhanced communication opportunities to improve their own production, be it oral or written. Sociocultural Approaches Researchers such as Lantolf (2000) have advocated that the sociocultural approach (based on work by Vygotsky, 1978) is ideally suited to examining the process of language acquisition, thanks to its emphasis on interaction from within a community of learners. Language and social interaction play a role in human development, and serve as cultural practices that can lead to the construction of knowledge shared by members of the community. In terms of how this might contribute to social networking, virtual connections with other learners and experts around the world can potentially offer a rich environment for socio-cultural language exchange (Harrison and Thomas 2009; Harrison 2013). Social networking spaces can also provide virtual spaces and offer promising opportunities to learn through observation, where students can observe others, interpret their behaviours, and adjust their own styles of interacting in SNSs. (Ryberg and Christiansen 2008). Through interaction in these spaces, learners can gain confidence by working with others and by establishing recognition as members of a particular community. Over time, virtual encounters within a community can even help learners to become experts. As proposed by Reinhardt and Zander (2011), SNSs allow users to interact in a myriad of communi