Developing Listening and Reading Skills through Social Media using Apps

We live in an era where we have numerous possibilities to learn English language using technology and online
resources. Most of the time efforts are put in to emphasize the enhancement of the productive skills, speaking
and writing, leaving the receptive skills, listening and reading which in reality play a great role in the
development of productive skills, untrained. Social media can be effectively utilised for enhancing the listening
and reading skills of ESL learners using its potential to engage learners beyond the traditional classroom
scenario. According to Chartrand (2012), social media generate meaningful outlet and stimulate learners’
interest which would result in effective language acquisition. This paper is based on a survey conducted among
a few college students and their teachers in Kerala on their use of social media for learning and teaching
purposes. It also make an attempt to demonstrate how the most commonly used social media like Facebook
and WhatsApp can be used as a platform for improving listening and reading skills of ESL learners at tertiary
level with the help of a few apps that can be downloaded from Google Play Store. Listening and reading skills
enhancement via social media under the guidance of a teacher promotes autonomous learning as the learner
can access materials wherever and whenever he/she wants and learn at his/her own pace.