The potential of digital tools in the language classroom

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools integrated into the syllabus of today's language classrooms provide learners and tutors with a great variety of new learning and teaching experiences and options. Students can generate authentic language while interacting and collaborating in a global learning environment, with technology as the facilitator and stimulator of communication. This group of university students experienced the potential of using (ICT) tools available cost-free on the World Wide Web to access information in the target language, to complete language tasks as well as to use them to interact with peers as part of their Spanish language course. This paper reports the results of a study of learners' satisfaction with their participation in Web-based activities, social-networking websites and the use of machine translation as language learning and teaching tools. The potential of these digital tools in the development of reading and writing skills through interaction in Spanish language classes is discussed.