TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LANGUAGE LEARNING: TRENDS AND ISSUES K. Tkachenok, S. Tumskiy MGIMO University (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) Abstract The paper is aimed at outlining the technological landscape in modern education and foreign language instruction in particular. Platforms and tools are observed in their applicability for foreign language learning and teaching. The authors also seek to find the key benefits of the digital resources under consideration as the latter are employed in classroom environment as well as in home assignments and self-education. Given the difference between educational contexts, the paper is an attempt of finding the universal tools for language learning which when used in a classroom will equally benefit learners and teachers. With the view to doing so the authors observe a number of studying platforms and mobile applications against the current educational background. In order to provide a useful insight the authors embark on the quest for all the benefits and possible drawbacks of using the analyzed resources for teaching a foreign language to school children, university students as well as enterprise employees. Options considered, the paper concludes with a number of classroom/self-study technology enhanced solutions for those teaching and learning foreign languages, striving for proficiency and trying to keep pace with the ever-changing reality. Keywords: Foreign language instruction, technology, language learning, mobile learning, gamification. 1 INTRODUCTION Observed against the backdrop of ongoing digitalization, educational techniques and tools of today appear to be far more diverse and potent in their ability of meeting every learner’s needs. While the applicability of web-based technologies in instruction is no longer under discussion, the question remains how to make the most effective use of the technologies available for teaching and learning. 2 METHODOLOGY The paper looks at the benefits of and limitations for using technology to enhance the process of learning a second language in various educational conditions, i.e. self-study, university/school, enterprise training. The general applicability of technical means, namely internet and mobile tools, and linguistic games is considered. The data on the positive effects of the tools analyzed, a number of platforms are addressed which can present a viable solution for language teachers and learners wishing to facilitate the overall process of language acquisition. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using technology-based tools for language teaching and learning and to discuss the applicability of the methods in different educational conditions. For this a number of questions were investigated: 1 Which platforms helping to master a language are available today? 2 Which of the technology-assisted tools enjoy most popularity? Why? 3 Which tools should be employed for self-study, classroom experience at school/university, and which of them are better compatible with enterprise training? 4 What are the results of the case studies, conducted in different countries, which prove the effectiveness of a particular learning tool? 5 What are extra points to consider while further implementing technology enhanced methods into the process of instruction? Proceedings of ICERI2019 Conference 11th-13th November 2019, Seville, Spain ISBN: 978-84-09-14755-7 8284