WhatsApp with English language teaching? Some practical ideas and strategies

Mobile assisted language learning offers tremendous opportunities for language learning. The use of short message service and, more recently, integration of the WhatsApp application into language classrooms has generally been reported to positively impact on language learning and learning experience for learners as well as for teachers. As a result, use of WhatsApp is gaining immense popularity in English as a foreign language classrooms across the globe. However, it is important to acknowledge that, while technology plays a critical role, it is how the tool is utilised per se that determines the successful integration of the new technology. How to use technology is pre-requisite to successful integration. Despite the popularity of the potential use of WhatsApp in language learning, currently there are no guidelines on how to use it for language teaching and learning. This paper attempts to offer some practical ideas and strategies for using WhatsApp for teaching English as a foreign language as well as for teaching other languages.