Abstract:

This paper looks into some of the more efficient ways to use digital media and social networking as interactive learning tools in teaching a whole number of foreign language related disciplines at a higher educational institution for both non-linguistic and linguistic undergraduate students. It comes from the assumption that applying the benefits of recent developments in information technologies to the process of teaching language and language-related subjects has to be an indispensable constituent of the general educational strategy and perspective. The key is the continuous individual educational process that allows students to master and practice new flexible ways of handling information and communication.

The authors point out that the generation of “digital inhabitants” who are used to a huge inflow of information and digital communication have to and can be educated in a dynamic interactive way with the use of a well-balanced and easily adaptable combination of modern technologies and platforms filled with individually generated content. It makes students more involved in the educational process and boosts their interest in getting better results while using new knowledge. Up-to-date topics help to realise the importance of learning foreign languages and trigger persuasive communication and glowing debates.

The authors further proceed to analyse the use of digital media and social networking in teaching English, French and Norwegian as well as other language related disciplines to first-year and second-year students at the National Research University of Electronic Technology. The new social and digital media tools, such as Vkontakte, Whatsapp, Quizlet, Readworks and some of the Google Services, were integrated into the classwork and homework activities with a view to assessing and selecting the more effective methods of blending them with conventional teaching techniques in order to create a highly interactive individualized learning process. A description of the approaches to integrating the above digital and social media is provided together with a list of possible activities best suited for integration.

The paper summarises the results obtained for students studying under the following programs: linguistics, translation and interpretation studies, information systems and technologies, biotechnologies, software engineering, information security, electronic and nanoelectronic systems.

Keywords:

Communicative approach, interactive language learning, digital internet-platform, social networking in education, Web 2.0 tools.