Technology in the Classroom: Attitudes, Approaches and Perspectives Ivaylo Dagnev, Maria Saykova Medical College to Medical University

Plovdiv Bulgaria Abstract: The use of new equipment in the classroom, such as the Internet, interactive boards, multimedia and virtual learning platforms, sets the stage for a multiplicity of new opportunities in teaching ESP. Unlike the old reproductive methods relying on one-way directionality, the new means of teaching call for novel approaches, necessitating a high level of teacher-student interaction, an unchartered method of classroom management and a completely different ethos. Through technology, students activities can be targeted towards individual, project-oriented tasks, raising their learning awareness and inducing greater involvement in the wake of substantially increased degrees of interest. Furthermore, the use of technology is conducive to an altered teaching status, commanding a change of paradigm in terms of communicative strategies. The technologically-savvy classroom lends itself more to an extension of class activities, beyond the mere confines of the conventional classroom, acquiring modes of interrelations typical of virtual space communities. The process of learning can include at one time, the presence of many teachers through videolinks, references to various resources and archives, proxy presence of students, and can help to simulate roleplay and language games. Student presentations are another perspective not fully developed in contemporary classroom activites, which can even lead to an exchange of roles of teachers and students. The latter event would lead to a better understanding by either party of the complexities of learning ESP. Key words: technology, classroom, teacher-student interaction, virtual space, ESP