TEACHING ENGLISH VIA SKYPE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

During the past few years due to the wide introduction of technology in the educational process teaching in general and the study of foreign languages in particular goes beyond the classroom. Nowadays there are a lot of information and communication tools for learning English, like online resources, author blogs, vlogs, mobile applications, educational platforms. The most modern teachers express the opinion that online teaching opens up new levels of creativity and opportunities for teachers. As for students, they are so-called digital natives, and they deserve to be taught with 21st-century technology. Among these methods, a notable place is occupied by teaching the language with the use of instant messengers with the function of chat and video communication. Such classes offer a combination of communication with a real teacher in real time, like in a usual lesson, and using various distance learning aids. One of the most widely used and available instant messengers used for e-learning is SKYPE, a Web 2.0 tool developed for communication, which has become a popular and effective tool for learning foreign languages by millions of people around the world every day. This article explores the specifics of teaching English via SKYPE and discusses its advantages and disadvantages for both teachers and students. These include methodological, technological, geographical, psychological, and physiological aspects. The article studies these aspects in detail, provides a comparative analysis between learning via SKYPE and face-to-face classroom, mobile applications and online platforms for self-studying of the English language, and discusses the prospects for e-learning development.