Using Technology in the Teaching of ESP: Some Reflections Based on Practice

Abstract

This chapter aims to provide an overview of the most commonly used and basic educational technologies in the language classroom. We have focused on those which are common to the three educational university settings the authors represent: the United States, Spain and Denmark. Starting with academic management systems such as Blackboard, we mention advantages and challenges of these and other software resources, such as Turnitin®, that can be found within those management settings. As plagiarism is an issue in academia, the aforementioned programme detects copying conflicts and provides the tools to correct them. Another key aspect of new learning environments is student interaction and participation, and that is the main purpose of Educlick, an application that has been specifically created for in-group interaction. Finally, smartphones uses in the classroom and audiovisual materials are broadly revisited. These technical and technological devices will also help to cover most students’ different needs in the class, as software is flexible and can adapt to various circumstances.