USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING IN THE CLASSROOM

Maarja Kurgpõld

Introduction

It is essential for the teachers to be at least a step ahead from their pupils. A modern teacher is updated when it comes to attractions of pupils. Even though the significance of social networking sites (SNSs) might not be seen by the teacher at first sight, it is a relevant feature in the classroom. Herein, even the most conservative teacher has to admit, pupils being a part of social networking sites is not merely a fashion stream. This is a new era, which remains for a remarkable period and has a crucial impact on educational views.

What is social networking?

Social networking sites are applications that enable users to connect by creating personal information profiles, inviting friends and colleagues to have access to those profiles, and sending e-mails and instant messages between each other. These personal profiles can include photos, video, audio files and blogs. The largest social networking sites are U.S.-based Facebook and MySpace. Social networking sites are of such high popularity, specifically among younger Internet users, that the term “Facebook addict” has been included in the Urban Dictionary (Kaplan & Haenlein 2010).

The future of ESL learning

The new educational environment in this postmodern view makes it necessary to expand the knowledge of cognition and learning happening to large-scale, loosely tied groups with ill-defined boundaries. Such larger scale online groups can mirror more deeply the decentralized future of ESL learning. Social networking sites, including Friendster.com, Tagged.com, Xanga.com, LiveJournal, MySpace, Facebook, and LikedIn have developed on the Internet over the past several years. The challenge for educators is to provide students of English with the sort of linguistic skills and technical resources that might allow them to access the global communication network successfully (Planas 2010).

Use of Facebook

Facebook and other social network sites are becoming more prevalent in educational environments. Social networking sites are designed to combine individual profile pages with group interaction tools, such as chat, blogs, and discussion forums. Students` self-motivated use of Facebook can promote language learning in a variety of ways. The idea of creating, expressing and experimenting with identities, a central aspect of SNSs, seems to have significant pedagogical potential, especially within the methodological framework of critical language learning. Facebook can be used for language instruction to promote socio-pragmatic competence. Observing groups on Facebook can raise learners` awareness of linguistic issues such as regional language variation as well as provide opportunities to put pragmatic knowledge to use while engaging in communicative acts (Arnold & Paulus 2010).

Important to remember for better learning

Social networking encourages collective contribution, not individual ownership. By providing a comprehensive record of how concepts take form though multiple clusters of knowledge, such media can promote more complex and lasting retention of course ideas among students. Several studies demonstrate the power of instructor immediacy in creating a greater sense of classroom community among learners. In one study, instructor immediacy in feedback was the strongest predictor of learning - both affective and cognitive learning - among students. Planned dialogue related to course content introduces students to one another at a cognitive level. While it is all right for instructors to critically challenge ideas, it is recommended that they avoid accusatory language or leading questions that indicate their biases (Woods & Ebersole 2003).

Conclusion

Social networking sites are not always a safe zone for the teacher, but very soon the last resort to keep pupils motivated. SNSs should be seen as learning aids instead. An increasing number of educators learn to benefit from SNSs and find a way to enrich their lesson with the help of that. Integration of learning with everyday life is crucial for a young learner. A distinctive part of social networking occurs online, which consequently has influenced teachers to develop methods of integration. Language teachers have an advantage in terms of learning tools. The views on education have recently changed considerably. The keyword in the field of education these days is adjustability.





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