Modern technology in language learning and teaching
Modern technology in language learning and teaching

Summary/Abstract: With the revolution of technology in the last century, technology is now available everywhere and is incorporated in many aspects of our life. Nowadays learners of foreign languages have access to a wide range of versatile tools and online resources and benefit from the proliferated use of digital technologies (computer assisted language learning – CALL). Modern IT devices and various applications have considerably facilitated language teaching and learning for different purposes, e.g. finding information, interaction, spell check, etc. Digitalization in education facilitates access to materials and other resources, but at the same time teachers face new challenges, such as identification of digital resources appropriate to their own teaching contexts, as well as designing and implementing activities appropriate to the techno-pedagogical affordances of the modern foreign language classroom. Needless to say that both teachers and students have to acquaint themselves with the new technology. Mobile technologies (mobile assisted language learning – MALL) due to its “anytime, anywhere” principle (Kukulska-Hulme & Shield, 2008) is currently a rapidly developing area of interest for researchers and the amount of (freely) available technology for language learning is abundant and still growing. Although “learner autonomy” (Benson, 2007) is promoted by MALL and learners have mostly a positive attitude towards using mobile devices, they may face certain difficulties, especially when making the choice of the suitable tool(s). The paper will consider three platforms that were designed for language learning. Platforms for learning Icelandic, Polish and Estonian as a foreign language accessible at https://icelandiconline.com/, www.popolskupopolsce.edu.pl/, https://www.keeleklikk.ee/ will be discussed in the context of CALL and MALL.

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