LOOKING FOR A TEACHER FOR “DIGITAL NATIVES”
LOOKING FOR A TEACHER FOR “DIGITAL NATIVES”

Summary/Abstract: Implementing the digital technology in our everyday lives has determined a structural mutation in the way we receive information. This new pattern of thinking is more obvious in the young generation, for whom any activity becomes inconceivable in the absence of gadgets. Certain theorists call these people „Digital natives”, and describe them in contrast to „Digital immigrants”, i.e. those users of the digital technology, who were trained in the traditional educational environment. We have added a third category of „non- digitals” to the above model, in order to provide a more accurate account of the challenges of teaching today. Starting from the hypothesis that the teacher needs, particularly in his/her new, multi- faceted role in modern teaching, certain competencies, similar to those of his/ her students, in order to convey to them the learning contents effectively, irrespective of the subject taught, this paper tries to examine the extent to which the possible relationships, that are established between a teacher and his/ her students, on the criterion of the digital competence, so far a complementary, yet an omnipresent, and indispensable skill in the educational environment of today, can impact on the educational approaches in the teaching of foreign languages. The main benefit that the teaching of foreign languages derives from the digital technology, most likely is the access to resources of the target language and culture in real time. The judicious use of this facility within the education process represents the innovative pre- requisite to improving the students’ performance in foreign language learning. We wonder when the „Digital Competence” will become a skill that is not only necessary, but also compulsory, for teachers of foreign languages!

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