Digital Games and Tools in the Remote EFL Classroom

In recent years, there has been a rekindled interest in gamification in English Language Teaching (ELT) and, it may be argued, Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) has triggered the use of interactive tools and games to engage students remotely. This paper will share the lessons learned from the design and implementation of digital tools and games in the online classes of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) during ERT in 2021 at a training college in Argentina for about 100 students. Considering the main insights and tenets in gamification, some theories and research on language learning and the three modes of interaction in distance education, different EFL games were designed using some of the latest digital tools available. The games were played synchronously in the online classes on Meet and the students’ participation and engagement were quite positive. At the end of the term, an anonymous survey was administered to the students’ opinions; the survey data, together with the teacher’s experience, have shown that a few digital games and tools designed in an informed way using different modes of interaction can motivate students to learn, revise and enjoy learning English at a distance.