English Learning Embraces Facebook Era

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Learn English language through Facebook. Is this possible?

We are all aware of the rampant influence of social media among people nowadays, especially the young ones. Since they are so hooked with this new trend, “some North Country schools are bringing a Facebook-like experience to English class to help improve student’s writing performance.”

According to San Diego News, Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders in the San Marcos Unified School District create web pages on a password-protected district site to showcase their essays, poems and book reports, as well as post photos, videos and audio clips to augment their presentations.

Students can actually see each others’ work, and they are also encouraged to offer comments and suggestion to other writers. Facebook becomes a “checking ground” among students since teachers are not the only person who is checking it. Assignments then are not only made all by the students alone. With the power of social media, students can now learn and make their assignments in a system where students can interact or comment on both their work and other works as well.

“With social networking, they share their work with a whole class. They care a lot more about it and are willing to do things to make it special,” said Allen Teng, a Woodland Park Middle School teacher on special assignment who provides classroom support for the program.

“As we know, with adolescents there is no more important audience for them than their peers,” said Laurie Stowell, an education professor at Cal State San Marcos who helped train some of the teachers. “Just like (with) Facebook, they would rather have other people see and hear what they have to say.”

So who said that English language can only be improved by only learn English at language schools? It is now possible to integrate Facebook in English learning because it matches the interests of young students, though I personally suggest that there should really be a scope and limitation.