The theoretical and practical aspects of the application of tablet machines in public education
Racskó Réka
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Eszterházy Károly Főiskola
Varga Tamás
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Eszterházy Károly Főiskola
The majority of students either in primary or secondary education have already obtained either a laptop computer or a smart phone while the tablet machines are beginning to enjoy increasing popularity overseas as well. Such dynamic changes in mobile communication modify expectations toward educational materials too.
Consequently, we are experiencing the rise of a new pedagogical paradigm promoting the school use of digital devices students are already familiar with. The subsequent formation of personal learning environments (PLE) is based upon the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) principle allowing students to perform private activities in regular learning time in return to studying during their free time. This new approach can contribute to the development of a positive attitude toward the learning process.
The emergence of new tools triggers curricular innovations as well. Consequently, as a result of a pilot project launched in the Demonstration School of the Eszterházy Károly College all 8th grade textbooks (totalling 12) issued by the National Publishing Company will be converted into iBook compatible format including interactive exercises and tests.
This is an unprecedented development in the world of tablets as the creation of such nationally accredited textbook package has not yet been attempted in Hungary. The multimedia elements (video, 3D objects) and the respective self-check and study questions of the textbooks scheduled to be tested during the present academic year were developed by teachers expected to use them within a pilot program. During the curriculum development process all potential application options were taken into consideration.