Introduction
The forces of globalization, modern technologies, and social medial platforms are revolutionizing human activities and goals. Different fields are integrating information communication technology (ICT) to improve service delivery and transform the experiences of most of the targeted beneficiaries. Web 2.0 tools and systems are becoming resourceful in learning environments since they have options for allowing users to share and generate ideas. In the education sector, social media has become a useful resource for meeting the needs of learners with diverse backgrounds. While wikis and blogs remain popular, social networking applications are becoming common tools for supporting language learning. However, past researchers have done little to shed some light on the effectiveness and applicability of these tools and how they can support learning. The objective of this investigation is, therefore, to explore how social media could be integrated in the classroom to support the teaching of French as a foreign language. It will report on a study whose objective was to measure students’ responsiveness to social media.
Literature Review
The use of online resources has become the norm in different parts of the world. Many teachers rely on websites, online-based apps, and materials to guide their students and ensure that they receive timely instructions (Erarslan, 2019). In their study, Pikhart and Botezat (2021) revealed that experts in educational matters were focusing on these technological improvements to provide personalized skills to the targeted learners. In the learning of a new language, Pikhart and Botezat (2021) believe that teachers need to focus on the most appropriate strategies to improve the levels of communication and exchange. These attributes make it possible for the participants to interact and consider how the learning experience could become more engaging. In some cases, the consideration of such attributes could improve content delivery and encourage more students to be part of the process.
Virtual learning environments (VLEs) have the potential to transform the needs of both learners and their respective teachers. The emergence of powerful technologies was a powerful force that was increasing the level of engagement. Some professionals were considering the power of social media resources and tools to meet the demands of the learners. These attributes indicate that teachers could utilize them in the provision of additional competencies or language skills. Relying on similar thoughts, Zvarych et al. (2020) observed that the need for utilizing social media platforms had increased than ever before. In the class setting, it was possible to guide individuals who had already mastered a primary language to focus on a second one. In the same study, Zvarych et al. (2020) revealed that Instagram was a useful social media platform that could help teachers design proper algorithms and apply them to teach English to different students. These observations would support the use of similar approaches to teach French as a secondary language.
The consideration of different resources and opportunities in integrating modern technologies in the classroom is still work in progress. In their study, Pikhart and Botezat (2021) revealed that many institutions and professionals were focusing on modern systems that were founded on the Internet. Such technologies were capable of empowering and guiding students to achieve their goals in a timely manner. Brocca (2020) explains how the emergence of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) supported this new reality. Specifically, the pandemic compelled agencies, governments, and international organizations to implement lockdown measures in an effort tominimize the spread of this disease. This unprecedented development presented a unique opportunity for testing the limits of ICT in the provision of educational instructions in different regions. Brocca (2020) observed that the pandemic proved to the world that electronic or distance learning was possible and capable of meeting the demands of more students. Additionally, most of the emerging models would rely heavily on the power of social media platforms.
Individuals who are willing to be part of the learning process can benefit from any form electronic-based teaching process. Pikhart and Botezat (2021) are convinced that some learners would be willing to use different social media platforms for their personal experiences. Some of the common activities associated with such websites including sharing ideas and communicating with one another. Zvarych et al. (2020) go further to indicate that modern technologies are presenting additional opportunities for making self-learning an opportunity. For the teaching of language, teachers can achieve their objectives when the targeted person is thousands of kilometres away (Zvarych et al., 2020).The power of the Internet is making interconnectivity possible while allowing students to engage in personal learning.
Teachers can use social media networks to assess their learners and determine the effectiveness of the educational process. Through the included systems for chatting and messages, teachers can gauge the level of involvement and the developed competencies. The emerging observations can then guide the professionals to make timely decisions and consider how they can differentiate or improve the presented instructions. In the same study, it occurred that the power of technology was encouraging more individuals to be involved and be ready to focus on the targeted goals. However, Reinhardt (2018) pinpointed some critical challenges that could affect the use of social media in delivering second language instructions. For example, the absence of continued support, reduced involvement of all participants, and the presence of distracters on such platforms could disorient the educational process. The authors concluded by encouraging teachers to address such issues and focus on the best approaches to maximize inclusion and concentration (Pramuniati, 2020). Nonetheless, such observations revealed that social media was still a reliable tool for supporting educational activities and processes.
The development of proper mechanisms and practices can make it possible for teachers to provide personalized instructions. Reinhardt (2018) revealed that teachers could adopt the idea of social media induced strategies to make it possible for the targeted learners to receive the much needed information. They could respond to didactic and pedagogical challenges in a proper manner. Additionally, they would need to match the demands of the learners with the available resources to create the best room for improved chances of language acquisition (Zvarych et al., 2020). Similarly, Reinhardt (2019) framed and developed a model known as Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) that supported the integration of social media in the learning environment. When done correctly, the approach can support the development of audience awareness, socio-pragmatic, and intercultural attributes (Reinhardt, 2019). Learners can highlight their expectations and challenges to make it easier for the involved teachers to provide personalized guidelines and instructions.
The level of enthusiasmregarding the use of social media and other educational technologies has attracted attention of scholars in the past. Educationists have relied on such attributes to explore the applicability of such systems in the teaching of language. Pikhart and Botezat (2021) observed that more parents and teachers were relying on such technologies and working collaboratively to meet the diverse needs of most of the beneficiaries. The development of an effective digital playground increased chances of recording positive outcomes. These insights were capable of being replicated elsewhere to ensure that more students were willing to be involved and eventually develop the much-needed language competencies (Zvarych et al., 2020). These findings from literature show conclusively that social media presents a unique opportunity for helping students to develop additional competencies in a foreign language.
Methodology
This study revolved around the application of Brookfield’s four lenses model. This methodology allowed the researcher to focus on four key areas to come up with concrete findings and evidence. The first one entailed a deep analysis of the published and existing scholarly literature on the topic. This was achieved through the completion and presentation of a detailed literature review. The emerging insights helped the researcher to consider the feedback and perspective of the intended learners (Badia, 2017). The profession examined some of the unique needs and expectations some of the students had recorded in the classroom setting. The third attribute would integrate notions and ideas of the researchers formulated as a learner. The final aspect considered as part of the methodology was that of colleagues’ experiences.
Fig. 1: Brookfield’s four lenses model
The application of the Brookfield’s for lenses model becomes a powerful approach for presenting evidence-based insights that can help scholars understand the use of social media in the learning environment. The consideration of these attributes could help present additional insights regarding the challenges students encounter and how they could record improved outcomes (Zvarych et al., 2020). From an autobiographical perspective, it has been notable that social media platforms have in the past helped people achieve greater goals in their social lives, medical pursuits, and economic activities (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). These developments support the need for such tools in the learning environment to improve the acquisition of a foreign language (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). The involvement of colleagues can maximize the speed of instructions delivery and comprehension. The emerging insights and ideas would then be considered to come up with the analysis presented in the section below.
Analysis
The completed analysis, which was in accordance with Brookfield’s model, suggested that there was a need to identify evidence-based approaches and platforms for improving the teaching of foreign language. Social media platforms were identified as powerful resources that allowed teachers to achieve their goals much faster (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). To ensure that timely results were recorded, the findings suggested that teachers had to sensitize the beneficiaries about the pedagogical attributes and value of the selected tool. The formulation of module objectives would allow more students to be involved in the educational process (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). The adoption of peer learning was plausible and capable of allowing more students to engage each other, share their difficulties, and focus on the best strategies to address their needs.
Social media resources were easily accessible to both teachers and students. There was a need to considertheir respective strengthsto allow teachers to post timely instructions, sentence structures, and guidelines for using the selected language. The immediate responses and answers possible through the use of social medial would allow the teachers to remain involved and be ready to deliver positive results. The inclusion of blogs emerged as an effective approach for increasing the level of efficiency (Pramuniati, 2020). Teachers would sensitize their learners about the importance of most of such resources and how they would help transform the learning process. From the completed literature, it occurred that most of the students below the age of 19 were willing to embrace the use of social media (Zvarych et al., 2020). They would focus on the available opportunities to acquire additional experiences and enhance their levels of understanding.
To achieve desirable results, teachers need to create adequate time to sensitize the targeted learners about the power of social media platforms. This approach allows them to collaborate and brainstorm to ensure that timely results are recorded (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). The use of Web 2.0 resources presents a unique opportunity for creating an environment that is acceptable and favourable for learning. The involvement of all participants helps minimize possible barriers while allowing all the individuals to remain involved. To achieve positive results, educationists could go further to integrate other methods applied traditionally in the learning environment. Such an approach can increase chances of success and make it possible for the students to achieve their maximum potential.
When teachers provide personalized instructions to support the development of French language skills, it becomes easier for the individuals to become part of the process. This finding supports the view by Reinhardt (2018) whereby the strategy results in improved use of the intended language’s grammatical structures and vocabulary. Social media provides additional incentives for translating the primary language and helping the user understand how to apply the secondary language. The teacher would then focus on some of the possible barriers that could hinder the learning process (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). Once the learners have mastered most of the basics associated with the second language, the involved teacher would go further to engage in self-learning. The beneficiary would be ready to engage in continuous learning and eventually record improved skills in the targeted French language.
Social media-based resources are capable of transforming the manner in which learners are able to receive much of the needed instructions. The professionals involved can identify emerging opportunities and consider how they can support the acquisition of the intended skills. They can teach vocabulary and present additional exercises of self-learning initiatives to help expand the beneficiary’s mastery of the new language (Zvarych et al., 2020). The inclusion of other professionals throughout the process could increase chances of recording positive results. This outcome is possible since the educator will be ware of some of the possible gaps and address them from an informed perspective (Reinhardt, 2018). The teacher will go further to combine some of these practices with traditional resources to support the delivery of the intended instructions.
Some of the studied works for the literature analysis offered a number of approaches that were helping more professionals to support the acquisition of a secondary language. For example, Brocca (2020) was convinced that the link between Facebook and Twitter could increase the number of learners interested in a particular subject. The professionals could then provide timely updates on Facebook and tweets on Twitter using French language. The approach would encourage more learners to follow the same process and consider the established rules for secondary language learning. When communicating with each other, the teacher and the learner should maximize their interaction using the intended language (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). The experts could go further to integrate Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram since such platforms offer additional resources for supporting the process. Throughout the learning process, teachers could provide additional links for videos and blogs that could be studied while on their social media platforms. Such a multifaceted approach has been observed to be practical and capable of helping more learners to achieve their objectives.
Through the use of social media, beneficiaries can develop additional social competencies that can inform the effective use of the intended secondary language. The learners would appreciate some of the unspoken rules whenever relying on the use of French. The teachers can identify some of these aspects and allow the students to be aware of how they can use the intended vocabulary in an effective manner (Brocca, 2020). Educators will offer additional incentives for allowing different learners to overcome some of the problems that could emerge (Zvarych et al., 2020). The inclusion of additional resources and support systems can improve the level of interest and eventually support the delivery of the outlined aims.
Within the past few years, experts have agreed that the traditional methods of teaching are finding a major obstacle due to the nature of emerging technologies. The unpredictability of the future events and the wave of globalization are external forces impacting the learning environment. Teachers and theorists in the field of education are needed to focus on the possible benefits of these social media networks and platforms (Pikhart & Botezat, 2021). When it comes to the teaching of French as a second language, such resources encourage more people to remain involved. The platforms are usually available and capable of increasing the level of interest. The combination of most of the platforms and the provision of personalized instructions becomes an evidence-based model for supporting the acquisition of French as a second language.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The completed study has revealed that Brookfield’s model is practical and capable of presenting numerous ideas from different sources. This reflective model has supported the continued use of social media platforms since are available and resonate with the unique needs of learners. They are associated with unique tools and resources capable of supporting the delivery of the formulated instructions. Teachers would need to identify the existing language gaps and provide personalized instructions. In a nutshell, social media can play a positive role towards supporting the teaching of a foreign language. Some recommendations could help more professionals achieve positive results in a timely manner. For example, professionals can consider some of the possible barriers and address them depending on the unique strengths and weaknesses of the selected beneficiaries. The provision of repeated instructions and combination of several platforms could help improve the process of instruction delivery. Teachers can undertake additional investigations and consider evidence-based approaches for improving the use of social media platforms in the classroom. The move to include community members, literary experts, and parents in the teaching process could support the delivery of the outlined instructions.
References
Badia, G. (2017). Combining critical reflection and action research to improve pedagogy. portal: Libraries and the Academy,17(4), 695–720. Web.
Brocca, N. (2020). Social media in education and foreign language teaching: An introduction. heiEDUCATION Journal, 5(1), 9-23. Web.
Erarslan, A. (2019). Instagram as an education platform for EFL learners. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 18(3), 54-69. Web.
Pikhart, M., &Botezat, O. (2021). The impact of the use of social media on second language acquisition. Procedia Computer Science, 192,1621-1628.
Pramuniati, I. (2020). Development of web-based French language learning media on rĂ©ceptionĂ©crite courses. UtopĂa y Praxis Latinoamericana,25(6), 537-552.
Reinhardt, J. (2018). Social media in second and foreign language teaching and learning: Blogs, wikis, and social networking. Language Teaching, 52(1), 1-39. Web.
Zvarych, I. M., Lavrychenko, N. M., Zaitseva, N. H., Chaika, O. M., & Skorobahata, O. M. (2020). Potential of the use of social networks in teaching a foreign language in higher educational institutions. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(5), 265-275. Web.