______________________________________________________________________________________ Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010: Full paper: Clark & Gruba 164 The use of social networking sites for foreign language learning: An autoethnographic study of Livemocha Cameron Clark School of Languages and Linguistics University of Melbourne Paul Gruba School of Languages and Linguistics University of Melbourne Despite their spectacular growth in both daily life and mainstream education, little research to date has been conducted concerning the use of social networking sites in foreign language learning. The aim of this study, therefore, is to examine the use of such sites to learn a foreign language. Using an auto-ethnographic approach that included self-aware participation, learner diaries and peer debriefing, we investigated the social networking site Livemocha to study Korean from our perspectives as native speakers and experienced teachers of English. Specifically, we focused our questions on aspects of socio-collaborative principles and practice. Results of a grounded, thematic analysis indicate that the site had number of counter-productive pedagogical impediments to language learning that included, for example, flaws in site design. We conclude our paper with suggestions for improved foreign language learning through social networking sites. Keywords: Computer-assisted language learning, autoethnography, socio-collaborative learning Introduction As in many other areas of higher education, the growth in global computer networks has spurred a massive increase in online foreign language learning (see, for example, Levy & Stockwell, 2006 Recker, Dorward & Nelson, 2004 Warschauer & Grimes, 2007). Far beyond earlier stand alone tutorial applications, the interactive abilities of computer-mediated communication tools has prompted the study of language learning in text-based chat, massively multiple online gaming and mobile devices (Sykes, Oskoz & Thorne, 2008.). To date, however, the use of social networking sites to learn a foreign language has been little investigated, and the pedagogical assumptions behind their use have been called into question (Harrison & Thomas, 2009). In this study, then, we set out to examine how online social networking sites may be used to acquire a language. After a survey of several language exchange and social language learning sites, we decided to investigate Livemocha [http://www.livemocha.com]. Perhaps the largest and most popular of this rapidly expanding category, Livemocha is a social networking site that advertises itself as the ���world's largest community of native speakers eager to help and learn from each other���and that's what makes Livemocha so addictive and effective.��� Critically reviewed, is the site truly ���addictive and effective���? If so, why?

______________________________________________________________________________________ Proceedings ascilite Sydney 2010: Full paper: Clark & Gruba 165 In this paper, we first review current theory related to computer-assisted language learning and social networking sites. Next, we discuss auto-ethnography, and its associated techniques, to research. From there, we describe the 2009 Livemocha site, our data collection processes and methods of analysis. We then set out our results and some implications of our study, before discussing areas of improved practice and further research. For van Lier (2004), language articulates the relations between people and the world and as such, context is central and ���ecological��� accordingly, there is no reason to teach or learn de-contextualized or prescriptive grammars. Nonetheless, linguistic accuracy is important (Ellis, 2008), and thus Felix (2005) has called for a mix of social and cognitive constructivist approaches to language acquisition. By combining the two approaches, learners can be exposed to a range of activities that promote increasingly complex automated responses, engage in autonomous learning and simultaneously develop both cognitive and metacognitive processes. The combined approaches integrate well within an ecological perspective, which considers learning to be ���a non-linear, relational activity, co-constructed between humans and their environment��� (Kramsch 2002, p. 5). For Kramsch, there are two common metaphors that are used in second language acquisition. In the first one, learners are parts of mechanism with inputs and outputs in the second metaphor, the learners are apprentices in a community of practice. However, an ecological perspective posits a new metaphor, situating learners as being part of a living organism, and it is interaction with the environment that encourages development (van Lier, 2004). This metaphor brings frames of reference from other disciplines into the complex relationship. The complexity of a learning environment can be exemplified from an ecological perspective by the ability of the learner to shift frames of reference. According to Kramsch (2002), the ecological nature of language learning relies on three assumptions: 1) Complexity, as communication involves interpreting meaning at various levels, various levels of detail, and in multiple semiotic and idiolectal forms 2) Non-linearity, as learning is co-constructed between humans and their environments and development is mediated by activity 3) Inter-connectivity, because an individual's emotional and motivational character situates the learner within a social and professional community of language users. In consideration of these three assumptions there are many ways of explaining the various levels on which language, learners and the language learning environments interact. In complex, non-linear systems only the interactions of the individual components of the systems are meaningful (Kramsch, 2002). The learner is no longer perceived as an empty vessel absorbing the information passed on by the teacher but rather as a member of a learning ecosystem (van Lier, 2004). As it moves further away from behaviourist to socio-cultural approaches then, foreign language instruction increasingly seeks to foster interactions within a community of learners (Lantolf & Poehner, 2008). For years, theorists have recognized that networked computers can potentially offer a rich environment for socio-cultural language learning (Harrison & Thomas, 2009 Jee & Park, 2009). Social networking sites, as Ryberg and Christiansen (2008) have shown can support language acquisition by offering an opportunity to learn through observation before mastering an understanding. This leads to gaining confidence and becoming a legitimate, recognised member of the community, which then allows the learner to encourage and enable learning within the community, by being teachers themselves. Method Autoethnographic approaches to research Since the 1930s, large-scale diary studies have been conducted in a range of fields, notably psychology, anthropology, education, sociology and applied linguistics (Lazaraton, 1995). Diary studies have been used, too, to analyse various forms of interaction with emerging technologies (Lee, 2001 Warschauer & Grimes, 2007) and are particularly useful to examine events in their natural context to obtain reliable, person-level information and to gauge changes within a person or other participants over time (Bolger, Davis & Rafaeli,. 2003 Numrich, 1996).