Social Media and CFL Pedagogy: Transforming Classrooms into Learning Communities

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1 Social Media and CFL Pedagogy: Transforming Classrooms into Learning Communities Wen-Hua Teng ( 鄧 文 華 ) Department of Asian Studies The University of Texas at Austin whteng@mail.utexas.edu ABSTRACT With the technological advances and the widespread accessibility of the Internet, the current generation is frequently referred to as the digital generation or the digital natives. Their familiarity with a wide range of digital tools and Internet applications has had a great impact on not only their behaviors but also their cognitions. Consequently, the concept of education in the 21 st century has been shaped in part by technologies. This presentation discusses how some of the social media tools popular among the digital generation can be adopted and integrated into CFL (Chinese as a foreign language) curriculum to enhance students learning experiences, strengthen communication and foster collaboration. It illustrates the advantages of creative uses of the social media technologies in CFL pedagogy. Key words: Blended-learning, Blog, CFL Pedagogy, Digital Generation, Facebook, Learning Community, Online Forum, Social Media, TPACK, Wiki, INTRODUCTION While modern technologies are ubiquitous, the relationship between technology and pedagogy is an area that has been under-researched. This presentation is a report on three semesters experiments, observations as well as research exploring the use of social media tools in a technology-enhanced CFL curriculum. Based on the TPACK (technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge) framework in instructional technology as well as a blended-learning model, the curriculum of a third-year CFL reading class at a U.S. university was designed to take advantage of social media tools, whose functionalities were deemed appropriate and beneficial to learning, such as blog, online forum, wiki, and Facebook. In this presentation, the rationale for the selection of each tool will be explained; the pedagogical approaches will be described; and quantitative and qualitative data will be provided to support the notion that a dynamic, student-centered learning community, where participation, sharing and collaboration take place on a regular basis over the Internet, can be created by the effective use of social media tools. TPACK AND BLENDED-LEARNING The TPACK framework places equal importance on technology, pedagogy and content. The integration of technology with pedagogy in specific content area calls for research and experiments to understand the effect and impact of technology in teaching and learning. Without research and experiments, it would be hard to avoid the pitfall of technology for the sake of technology. This study aims to examine as to how social media tools (technology) can be adopted in CFL classes

2 (content) to bring about positive impact on learning through instructional designs (pedagogy). Figure 1 shows a diagram that illustrates the TPACK framework. Figure 1: TPACK Framework (Source: Blended-learning, also known as hybrid learning, is generally defined as a mixture of the traditional face-to-face instruction and web-based learning. In other words, teaching and learning take place both synchronously and asynchronously. The blended-learning model and its benefits have been recognized by an increasing number of educators as having significant impact on education in the new millennium (Buzzetto-More and Sweat-Guy, 2006). However, as promising as it might be in revolutionizing the future concept and practice of education, the blended-learning model must be grounded in the TPACK framework. That is, careful consideration must be given to important issues such as curriculum designs, method of delivery, learning activities and course objectives in order to maximize the benefit of blended-learning. THE DIGITAL GENERATION One decade into the millennium, digital and mobile technologies have become an indispensable aspect of the daily life of the current generation. Being technologically savvy is a common trait shared by these digital natives. Their familiarity with modern technologies and their easy access to online resources indicate that traditional classroom instruction may not satisfy their learning needs and goals (Susan Reese, 2010; Edwina Spodark, 2010). CFL instructors are thus presented with the best opportunity to converge students daily life with their academic or school life to enhance their learning experiences. At the same time, how to leverage students technological skills to help them achieve their learning goals become the significant challenges CFL instructors are facing. This paper aims to provide some suggestions as to how CFL instructors can address these challenges.

3 SOCIAL MEDIA AND LEARNING COMMUNITY Social media are Internet tools based on the Web 2.0 technologies. Their main function is to provide an Internet space where users can interact and communicate. Sharing, participating, collaboration and networking are some of the major characteristics of social media. In other words, an online community can be formed. Thus, integrating social media into a CFL class can help create a sense of community among students; furthermore, the interactions among students that take place outside of classrooms can prove to have pedagogical values through thoughtful instructional and curriculum designs. With the adoption of social media tools in a blended-learning CFL class, each student is no longer an isolated individual, but a member of a learning community. In such a community, students not only share the same learning goals, but also share with one another their own knowledge and experiences, support one another during the learning process and collaborate on class projects. Learning is thus viewed as a participatory and dynamic social process, and is learner-oriented. This paper illustrates how traditional learning activities can be updated in an online environment and how a conventional CFL classroom can be transformed into a collaborative learning community. In such a community, students are being prepared for their entry into the global community, where teamwork and collaboration will be required skills. PEDAGOGICAL USES OF SOCIAL MEDIA This paper explores the pedagogical functions of social media tools, such as blog, online forum, wiki, and Facebook. These tools have been adopted in a third-year CFL reading course at a four-year public university in the U.S. 1. Blog for homework (written and audio): Each student is required to create a homework blog and invite the instructor to view the content. This means it is a private blog and the interactions take place only between the instructor and the student. Students routinely post translations, scenario creations, short essays, etc. according to the course syllabus. They are also required to post two audio recordings of reading fluency each week. Students receive feedback and evaluation from the instructor on a regular basis. They are asked to revise their work until the instructor is satisfied with their performance. The homework blog reduces the use of paper for homework and makes it much easier for the instructor to manage homework submissions. In addition, both the instructor and the students can assess students learning progress effectively.

4 Figure 2: A sample of a student s homework blog 2. Class Blog The instructor creates a class blog and all students enrolled in the class are required to participate in the discussions. Both the instructor and the students can create threads and comment on one anothr s postings. Discussions are centered on course materials, and can be conducted in either English or Chinese. Students use this space to ask questions about grammar or reading text, to answer questions a classmate posts, and to exchange their opinions about issues appearing in the texts. It is a process of not simply knowledge sharing but also knowledge building. Peer support is a prominent feature of the class blog. In addition, the instructor posts exemplary homework assignments occasionally as a way to publicly acknowledge outstanding performance by the students, and to allow students to share their work with their classmates. Therefore, the class blog has the potential of stimulating students to reach a higher level of excellence.

5 Figure 3: A sample of the class blog 3. Online Forum Online Forum and class blog share similar features but have been used for distinctively different purposes. All threads are created by the instructor; students contribute their insights and perspectives on topics chosen by the instructor and they also comment on each other s postings. English is used for communication, but students are not discouraged from using Chinese. The topics are about learning Chinese; that is, students share with one another their opinions, experiences, strategies and sometimes even difficulties and frustration they have encountered. They are allowed to post anonymously. Students can lend each other moral support or benefit from their classmates insights. Not only can the online forum strengthen students sense of community by bringing in focus the fact that they are sharing the same goal of learning Chinese, it also allows the instructor to gather information mid-semester about how students view the class. The instructor can make adjustments to meet students need or address students concern. Therefore, its pedagogical value is implicit yet important.

6 Figure 4: A sample page of the online forum 4. Wiki A group project is assigned toward the end of the semester. The class is divided into four groups and the instructor chooses a student in each group to be the group leader. The group leader is responsible for creating a group wiki page and invites group members to join. Group discussion on the wiki page ensues. Group members brainstorm on their wiki page. They exchange ideas about how the group should proceed with the project. Each member can create threads to organize their ideas, and to coordinate member duties. A significant portion of the collaboration is completed online before the group meets to finalize all phases of the project if necessary. An obvious and immediate benefit of a wiki collaborative project is flexibility and time-saving afforded by the asynchronousness of the group activities. The instructor can view students wiki pages to monitor their progress. But more importantly, the instructor can give a fairer and more objective evaluation of each student s performance based on individuals contributions. In other words, student effort is documented and thus becomes part of the evaluation.

7 Figure 5: A sample of a wiki page 5. Facebook Facebook is an enormously popular online social network site, which participants use to stay connected with friends and to acquire new friends. As its original and primary function is in social networking, its value in pedagogy has not been explored. Existent research has suggested that social network sites, such as Facebook, have both bonding and bridging functions (Ellison, et al., 2007). The latter refers to social connections between individuals that provide useful information and new perspectives. It is the bridging function that may prove to have pedagogical value. The instructor created a Facebook group and invites students to join. Students are encouraged to share their lives, opinions, questions and information they found with their classmates. Also, the instructor and students use the message function to communicate with each other. Interactions on Facebook are typically short and direct. More pertinent to teaching and learning is perhaps what takes place in the chat room. On the evening before each test, the instructor conducts virtual office hour in the chat room to answer students questions and help those who participate to get ready for the test. LEARNER PERCEPTIONS

8 At the end of each semester, students are asked to fill out surveys which are designed to gather their perspectives and opinions about the adoption of social media tools in this blend-learning CFL class. In addition, face-to-face interviews with selected students are conducted to collect more information on wiki projects. Students are generally found to be satisfied with the experiences of using these tools in learning Chinese. No overwhelmingly negative responses are reported. Nearly all of the participants mention that this is their only blended-learning class; however, no students cite any technical difficulties. It can be safely concluded that the majority of the students feel positively about the use of social media in this course. However, the face-to-face interviews reveal that not all students enjoy the wiki project although no one disputes its merits. These students unanimously cite their unfamiliarity with the use of wiki as a possible reason for their aversion to the project. PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES Experiments, observations and research conducted in this project have yielded encouraging results, which suggest that social media tools have potentials to benefit CFL teaching and learning. However, more research and continuous experiments are necessary to further explore the uses of these tools and to reach a better understand of the relationship between technology and CFL pedagogy. Innovative use of social media adds a new dimension to CFL instruction that directly address the characteristics of the digital generation. It can extend the reach of a traditional classroom, enrich students learning experiences and help them cultivate important skills necessary for workplace and daily life in the 21 st century. Along with the exciting prospect came the challenges, notably among which are issues involving the development of the four language skills by using the social media tools. Also, the concept of a learning community requires an examination as to what role a teacher plays in such a community. Furthermore, social networking may re-define the traditional teacher-student relationship. What impact such a redefined relationship may have on students learning is an issue worth exploring. Last but not least, the question as to where to draw the line between proper use and overuse of the social media tools must be addressed before these tools can bring about maximum benefits to CFL pedagogy. REFERENCES Buzzetto-More, N. A., and Sweat-Guy, R. (2006). Incorporating the Hybrid Learning Model into Minority Education at a Historically Black University. Journal of Information Technology Education, 5, Crook, C. (2008). Web 2.0 Technologies for Learning: The Current Landscape Opportunities, Challenges and Tensions. Retrieved September 2008 from Ellison, N. B., Steinfield, C., and Lampe, C. (2007). The Benefits of Facebook Friends: Social Capital and College Students Use of Online Social network Sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12,

9 Inoue, Y. (2010). Cases on Online and Blended Learning Technologies in Higher Education. New York: Information Science Reference. Liou, H., and Lee, S. (2011). How Wiki-Based Writing Influences College Students Collaborative and Individual Composing Products, Processes, and Learners Perceptions. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 1, Reese, S. (2010). Teaching Languages to the Millennial Generation. The Language Educator, 5, Shank, P. (2007). The Online Learning Idea Book. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. Spodark, E. (2010) Structuring a Language Course to Respond to Millennial Generation Workplace Characteristics. The Language Educator, 5,