How to teach languages using digital tools

It is not always easy for a teacher to keep up with the digital skills required to keep a classroom motivated, engaged and enthusiast when it comes to teaching languages. Using technology in language learning allows students to assume an active role and to communicate and cooperate with their classmates. Technological tools in support of language learning can be used for a variety of purposes such as introducing a new subject or summing up an old one, personalizing lessons and assessing and challenging the students to create their own work to engage their creativity.

The new edition of the course “Teaching languages in the digital era: The best apps, AI tools platforms and ICT solutions for learning languages​” took place in Palermo from 09/06/2025 to 13/06/2025. The participants came from across Europe, Ulrika Lindström and Christine Sjölin from Fränstaskolan in Sweden, Michaela Bauermeister from Staatliche Fachoberschule und Berufsoberschule Weilheim in Germany, Christina Tsaklidis from BG/BRG/NMS Klusemannstraße in Austria, and, last but not least, Paula Soukkamäki from Kiiminginlukio in Finland.
During this course the participants learnt how to use a vast range of technological tools and to put them to use by integrating them into their teaching methods. These tools are useful not only for engagement and motivation but also to monitor progress, for example in vocabulary learning, communication and individual work.

This course allowed the participants to engage in a great number of practical activities and to experience these tools first-hand. For example, they competed in a live quiz while learning how to create interactive language quizzes by using web applications. Quiz flashcards for instance can be useful to increase students’ vocabulary and spelling skills. 
Amongst the tools discovered in this course there were web platforms dedicated to creating presentations about languages. They had the chance to create and present their own work in a motivating environment, so that next time they could use it in their own classroom context.
​

In addition, the participants also learnt about tools that allow the user to outline and recap the contents of the lesson and prepare for example grammar presentations, pose questions and monitor students’ attention in the classroom, especially during these times where distance learning is very common. They also explored platforms that can be useful to create worksheets and explain videos easily.

The participants also discovered specific platforms that are also very useful for language learning because they allow teachers to add voice notes, questions and voiceovers to educational videos, turning them into lessons. 
Discover more about this course here.

​