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14 - Social Interaction and Learning

from Part IV - Social Aspects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2025

By
Lara Lomicka  and
Stacey Benoit
Edited by
Glenn Stockwell  and
Yijen Wang
Glenn Stockwell
Affiliation:
Waseda University, Japan
Yijen Wang
Affiliation:
Waseda University, Japan
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Summary

This chapter presents an overview of social interaction, technology, and language learning within the context of a cross-cultural exchange project. Interaction with others and being an active participant in an environment where the language is used is crucial to language learning. We will first look at social interaction and situate it in the context of language teaching and learning. Next, we present some primary themes of social interaction and discuss the practices that inform the role social interaction plays in collaborative projects in language classes. We provide examples of how technological tools were used to facilitate virtual social interaction between language students in France and the United States. Finally, the chapter concludes by offering insights for cross-cultural projects that prioritize social interaction.

Keywords

social interactioncross-cultural collaborationcritical thinkingcommunity buildingdivergent perspective sharingvisual tools
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Technology in Language Teaching and Learning , pp. 233 - 247
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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Further Reading

This foundational article sets the groundwork for how technology affects language use and shapes the way we use language. It highlights the connections between forms and media and the importance of awareness, reflection, and communication for today’s learners and educators.

This article looks at telecollaboration from a gender-based approach. Specifically, it examines how this approach can foster learning in SCMC-based telecollaboration primarily by dyads and triads who performed an oral interview. Results point to the promise of linking existing knowledge to new knowledge, creating meaningful connections between topics and demonstrated attention by learners.

This article uses geolocation technologies (Siftr) to explore the development of community and cultural understanding in classes both in the United States and abroad. Results suggest that tasks help learners intentionally notice their own culture and that of others.

This chapter looks at the Cultura Project through an open design lens. Through its innovative design, the project offers affordances in pedagogy, material, and professional development and technology.

Chun, D., Kern, R., & Smith, B. (2016). Technology in language use, language teaching, and language learning. The Modern Language Journal, 100(1), 64–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cunningham, D. J. (2019). Telecollaboration for content and language learning: A genre-based approach. Language Learning & Technology, 23(3), 161–177. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/44701Google Scholar
Guerrero‐Rodríguez, P., Lomicka Anderson, L., & Lord, G. (2022). SIFTR‐ing through the development of cultural awareness at home and abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 55(2), 435–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levet, S., & Tschudi, S. L. (2021). Open by Design: The Cultura Project. In Blyth, C. S. and Thoms, J. J. (Eds.), Open Education and Second Language Learning and Teaching (pp. 47–68). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781800411005-004CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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