ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF USING EDUCATIONAL PLATFORMS IN THE PROCESS OF ACQUIRING FOREIGN LANGUAGES

The utilization of educational platforms in teaching and learning foreign languages represents a further step of the e-learning offer, one superior to didactic portals or to the collections of activities available on websites. An educational platform is a complex software system, comprising the content of the subject matter and coordinating learning, it represents the interface between the transmitter and the recipient (or the beneficiary) of the educational offer. In the present paper we shall clarify, the concept of educational platform and we shall conduct an empirical analysis of the existing offers. Our undertaking will be supported by examples of the ways in which open source platforms for adult language learners have been customized in order to meet the needs of their users. Apart-from that, we shall examine both strong and weak points of this complex tool, whose versatility and adapting potential is virtually unlimited. At present there is a strong tendency towards including e-learning elements in the educational offers and as far as language acquisition is concerned, producers seem to opt for the MOODLE platform. The advantages of using a learning management system or an LMS are self-evident and spring from the numerous alternatives rendered available through this elaborate software system. Nonetheless, there are certain drawbacks to this learning method, out of which the most consequential appear to be the technical difficulties encountered when operating the system or the lack of professionalism in the development and management of information content. But taking everything into account, users definitely benefit from such systems, especially when they are tailored to fit particular learning needs.