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Social Networking Sites and Language Learning

Social Networking Sites and Language Learning

Billy Brick (Coventry University, UK)
Copyright: © 2011 |Volume: 2 |Issue: 3 |Article: 2 |Pages: 14
ISSN: 1947-8518|EISSN: 1947-8526|DOI: 10.4018/jvple.2011070102
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MLA

Brick, Billy. "Social Networking Sites and Language Learning." IJVPLE 2.3 (2011): 18-31. Web. 1 Jan. 2019. doi:10.4018/jvple.2011070102

APA

Brick, B. (2011). Social Networking Sites and Language Learning. International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE), 2(3), 18-31. doi:10.4018/jvple.2011070102

Chicago

Brick, Billy. "Social Networking Sites and Language Learning," International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments (IJVPLE) 2 (2011): 3, accessed (January 01, 2019), doi:10.4018/jvple.2011070102

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Abstract

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 (HE) curriculum and the implications of this for educators are also discussed.

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