WEB 2.0 TOOLS AND THEIR USE IN THE LINGUISTIC SPACES OF OUR SOCIETY

Web 2.0 Tools: Tools that one can use to receive information.

 

1. The extent that patterns of Web 2.0 technologies can be used in your field of study(English and Applied Linguistics) and aligning with what it means to be a so called digital native. 

A digital native is a person who lives a life immersed in digital technologies allows them to learn differently from previous generations of people according to, Prensky(2001)

Considering my field of study, it aligns with being a digital native because I am exposed to using different tools which have introduced me to a variety of different technology platforms that are also linked to my profession as being an English lecturer. Being an English lecturer has allowed me to use different patterns of technology for my classrooms which are also beneficial to my field of study and this has made me a digital native. 

As a student using Web 2.0 tools such as WhatsApp, Gmail, You tube and MS Teams has turned me into a digital native.  

2. The using of Web 2.0 technologies for academic versus non-academic purposes to reflect in your socio-linguistic and socio-cultural context?

Web 2.0 has evolved into one of the world's most acceptable entertainment webs, whether for an individual or group as stated, Thomas & Thomas (2012).

Being an English lecturer which makes me an educator has allowed me to be innovative in the sense that I need to find tools that are more accessible to my students. The impact of Covid-19 has made this possible because we were forced to migrate to online. I personally use the following academic tools for my classes; WhatsApp for recording lessons and sharing them with students.  Zoom Meetings, MS Teams  and Meet for teaching online. I use You-tube as well because it attracts the students attention and develops their mentality. 

Non- academic tools  can also be used  for things such as Instagram; which I use for sharing pictures, creating content and interacting with different people. WhatsApp usage for conversations and You-tube for listening to music and watching videos. Tools can serve both academic and non-academic purpose.

3. Discuss what Communicative Competence is and give examples as to how Computer-Mediated Communication CMC) tools can be used effectively in a specific linguistic context that you can relate to?

Communicative competence is being able to use a language effectively as stated, Nordquist (2019).

CMC includes video conferencing,  emails , network communication, instant messaging, etc.  In any language classroom, learners/students are motivated to use any technical tools to communicate effectively. 

Imagine you want to learn a foreign language,  CMC tools have made this possible for students to interact not just with their classmates but also with a wide range of native speakers or other non-native speakers of the language. CMC tools can lead to improved intercultural competence and democratize classroom communication, at the end of the day it enhances communication.

4. Preferable new Literacy practices in your everyday communication.

I prefer the following:

                                                         Instragram:  for social purposes.

                                      WhatsApp: For communication, it’s instant, convenient and very easy to use.

Emails: For work purposes.

You tube: For motivational talks, songs, spiritual videos, interracial videos and for movies.

                                              Snapchat: For taking pictures.

                                                   LinkedIn:  For professional networks

                                                          TickTok: For entertaining.

Pinterest: For ideas like inspiration and more.

I do not use the following platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Clubhouse.

                                                                  REFERENCES

Hymes, D. (1966). Two types of linguistics relatively. In Bright, W. (ed.). Sociolinguistics. The Hague: Mouton. pp. 114-158.

Nordquist, R. (2019). International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation: An Approach to English Phonology.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. MCB University Press, Vol 9 No. 5.

Thomas, M. & Thomas, H. 2012. Using new social media and Web 2.0 technologies in business school teaching and learning, Journal of Management Development. 31(4), 358-367