Language Education in the Era of Digital Technology

Abstract

As the use of digital technology continues to increase, the types of communicative competencies that are needed are also evolving. In this paper I focus on people born after 2000 (referred to as the “digital generation”) and propose that the purpose of language education is to assist learners to develop communicative competence for this new era of digital technology. I argue that language educators should use digital technology itself as a pedagogical tool while adapting it to learners’ own linguistic behaviors and cognitive styles. Furthermore, I argue that communicative competencies must be conceptualized broadly so that they can cover both verbal and nonverbal elements. Given the advantages and disadvantages of digital technology, the role that teachers and parents play is critical in helping students develop the communicative competencies needed by this new generation.