SOCIAL NETWORK SITES AS A TOOL FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING: THE CASE OF FACEBOOK

Abstract

The advent of Web 2.0 brought about several new forums of social relations and interactions which take place now, predominantly, over the internet. Social Media, Social Network, Social Software, Social Networking Sites, among others, are expressions that seem to be used interchangeably to refer to sites such as Facebook or Twitter. All these expressions highlight the fact that the Web 2.0 concept is based around networks (and their underlying collaborative nature), software and media. Web 2.0 tools are ubiquitous: we use them to communicate, to work, and, increasingly, to learn and teach. This paper attempts to assess the potential uses of social network sites as support tools for the learning of foreign languages, namely of English, by presenting and listing particular didactic uses advertised of these Social Networking Sites, and, in particular, of Facebook, and providing a critical overview of current studies focusing on this area. Some of the recorded uses, include, but are not limited to: the use of Facebook as a class supporting tool, as an electronic portfolio repository, as the communication tool for a community of practice, and in conjunction with learning management systems (LMS).