(MyCASELT 2010) The 'Good English Language Learner' on Facebook: an extension of CALL and SALL.

The 3rd Malaysia International Conference on Academic Strategies in English Language Teaching: Maximising ELT Potential for Diversity and Intelligibility.
December 15th to December 16th, The Saujana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Abstract for parallel paper presentation (co-written by Zarlina Mohd Zamari and Airil Haimi Mohd Adnan)

In this paper, we begin by discussing the notions of computer aided language learning (CALL) and self-access language learning (SALL) and review their related literature. Although CALL and SALL as pedagogical models have been widely discussed in English language teaching, the implementation of both frameworks has been sporadic at best especially in the context of developing nations. On the other hand, the expansion and growth of information and communications technologies around the globe have led to a quiet revolution in learning, unsurprisingly involving ideas like CALL and SALL. This revolution in a way has democratised the process of language learning by allowing anyone, anywhere with access to a computer and an Internet connection to learn English independently. In response to this, one of us (Airil) started a community called the ‘Good English Language Learner’ (GELL) on the popular social networking platform Facebook to take advantage of all it has to offer towards realising the pedagogical objectives of CALL and SALL. Six months later with nearly 2,500 community members from 19 countries around the world and counting, the GELL community is a site ripe for research into online English language learning. Employing examples from GELL on Facebook, we examine the opportunities that social networking platforms afford language learners and instructors using our own 5-point computer-aided self-access language learning (CASA-LL) framework. Through the 5-point CASA-LL framework we also critically explore the contemporary ‘face’ of online language learning and its many manifestations, and we highlight both the pros and cons of online English language teaching using GELL on Facebook as our primary example.