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Social Networking Sites and Language Education

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Language, Education and Technology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Language and Education ((ELE))

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Abstract

The use of social networking sites for second and foreign (L2) language learning and teaching has recently gained attention by practitioners and researchers of applied linguistics and L2 education. Informed by socially oriented theories of language learning and computer-assisted language learning (CALL) studies, researchers have examined L2 learning and its use in non-educational or vernacular sites like Facebook, L2 pedagogy using vernacular sites, and the use of commercial social networks designed specifically for language learning, like livemocha. Findings implicate the role of self-organized, autonomous learning processes, the development of socio-collaborative learning communities, and the challenges of balancing the learning benefits emergent from the user-driven agency of everyday use with the demands to meet formal curriculum-driven objectives. After a brief discussion of influences and definitions, this chapter examines, analyzes, and synthesizes selected research that illustrates these findings, concluding with problems and future directions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Jonathon Reinhardt

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  1. Jonathon Reinhardt
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Correspondence to Jonathon Reinhardt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Portland, Oregon, USA

    Steven Thorne

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, School of Critic, Auckland, New Zealand

    Stephen May

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Reinhardt, J. (2017). Social Networking Sites and Language Education. In: Thorne, S., May, S. (eds) Language, Education and Technology. Encyclopedia of Language and Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02328-1_30-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02328-1_30-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02328-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02328-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Social Networking Sites and Language Education
    Published:
    04 April 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02328-1_30-2

  2. Original

    Social Networking Sites and Language Education
    Published:
    13 February 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02328-1_30-1

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