Determining digital natives' levels of using Web 2.0 tools in learning foreign languages: A case study

The main aim of this research is to determine digital natives' levels of using Web 2.0 tools in learning foreign languages in accordance with connectivism theory and cognitive theory of multimedia. It's assumed that findings of the research will enable both face to face and distance education based institutions to learn more about digital natives and their learning styles. In the information age, depending on ubiquitousness of information, digital learners' learning methods have changed rapidly. In this context, learning a foreign language has become vital for communication and a common language (lingua franca) has become indispensable in this globalized world. Web 2.0 tools have facilitated our lives in many ways as well as teaching and learning environments. Digital natives live addictively to Web 2.0 tools and digital media tools. This generation with a perfect command of Web 2.0 tools are able to reach limitless information and open educational resources. Widespread use of Web 2.0 tools in foreign language teaching enables both learners and teachers to interact and access information in a short time in and out of class. In this case study which is one of the qualitative research methods, data collection was completed through semi-structured oral interviews, observations and document analysis. Parallel with the information in the literature; results of this study show that digital natives use Web 2.0 tools quite often and they are ambitious and practical in generating content and sharing their contents via connections. Keywords: Web 2.0 tools, digital natives, foreign language learning, connectivism theory,cognitive theory of multi media