Abstract:

The paper is aimed at outlining the technological landscape in modern education and foreign language instruction in particular. Platforms and tools are observed in their applicability for foreign language learning and teaching. The authors also seek to find the key benefits of the digital resources under consideration as the latter are employed in classroom environment as well as in home assignments and self-education.

Given the difference between educational contexts, the paper is an attempt of finding the universal tools for language learning which when used in a classroom will equally benefit learners and teachers. With the view to doing so the authors observe a number of studying platforms and mobile applications against the current educational background. In order to provide a useful insight the authors embark on the quest for all the benefits and possible drawbacks of using the analyzed resources for teaching a foreign language to school children, university students as well as enterprise employees.

Options considered, the paper concludes with a number of classroom/self-study technology enhanced solutions for those teaching and learning foreign languages, striving for proficiency and trying to keep pace with the ever-changing reality.

Keywords:

Foreign language instruction, technology, language learning, mobile learning, microlearning, gamification.