Abstract:

The continuing introduction of information technologies into all spheres of human activity inevitably brings about a new type of generation of students with a different attitude to life. Undergraduates today look forward not only to obtaining a set of knowledge in the field of their professional study but to mastering a huge variety of skills and abilities which can give them a competitive advantage in their further career. It is evident that the contemporary society poses new challenges for alumni putting forward stringent requirements as to the level of training of human resources. These challenges are responsible for the appearance of new important tools and training mechanisms which teachers can use for boosting students’ needs and interests. The changing attitude of contemporary Russian youth to traditional educational methods has revolutionized the role of a teacher in the learning experiences and the image of a teacher in academic system as a whole. In the past, undergraduates were only provided with knowledge, though profound and fundamental, so that after receiving a diploma they were able to put this theoretical understanding of their major into effect. Today, due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies, young specialists should not only possess comprehensive knowledge in the field of their research interest. They are supposed to acquire the relevant expertise in communication sphere, be able to convey and share ideas, negotiate, use the variety of computer applications. So, the foreign language teacher’s responsibilities should not be confined to those of an instructor. It is more important for him or her to be on the same wavelength with students, to speak their “digital” language, to try turning from a technophobe to a digital native. A student today must meet all the demands that the world business community makes. In this respect, an important task a teacher is facing is the use of innovative teaching methods, thus fostering students’ ability to apply new computer technologies in learning a foreign language and as a result establishing a deeper rapport. This is what a successful interrelation between students and teachers implies.

Keywords:

Modern youth, needs, interests, teaching methods, globalization, digital pedagogy, teacher’s image, student’s social profile, digital generation, information and communication skills.