Boosting Students’ Engagement in the EFL Classroom with Classic and the Latest ICT Tools

Abstract

[eng] Recent technological developments have shaped how we see and interact with today’s world, affecting every aspect of our daily life, including formal education. Because of the integration of ICT in our lives, digital competence is a must for citizens to be part of the new digital world. The Spanish Government has aligned their education policies with the European Union’s guidelines, establishing the development of digital competence at the core of education regulations. Nevertheless, for students to be able to develop their digital competence, their teachers should also be comfortable using ICT-based tools and resources in the classroom. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light some deficiencies and limitations on this issue, revealing that both teachers and students needed to improve their digital competence. This can be achieved by using and implementing different ICT-based tools and resources in the classroom. Apart from gaining that competence, using these resources also serve to align the teacher’s methodology with the needs of today’s students, whose expectations, habits, and attitudes have shifted from the ones from the past. Nowadays, students prefer a student-centered approach, focusing on a more active role. Furthermore, these tools encourage their engagement and motivation because they are created with gamification techniques, thus being a welcomed material in class. Because technology does not stop evolving, this thesis presents a collection of classic ICT tools and resources and the latest ones that have little or no presence in the EFL classroom, which could be exploited and discover if they are worth to be included in a teacher’s diverse repertoire. This work introduces and proposes different activities for the following ICT tools and resources: PowerPoint and Google Slides, Duolingo, Kahoot!, StoryJumper, Edpuzzle, Genial.ly, Wordle, Blooket, and The Jackbox Party Packs.