Teacher’s Role in Digitalization of Classrooms: History
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Contributor:
María Isabel Vidal-Esteve
,
Sebastián Martín-Gómez

The incorporation of digital didactic materials into the teaching and learning process of students, both in Early Childhood and Primary Education, inevitably entails changes. Some of them concern teacher training, others the interactions and roles of the members of the educational community, and others the innovation, a priori, of the educational process itself. It is necessary to know the teachers’ assessment of the usefulness of these resources and on identify the uses given to them in classroom practices.

  • teachers’ perceptions
  • digital materials
  • digitalization
  • early childhood education
  • primary education

1. Educational Resources in the Digital Society

In the context of today’s society, people  can observe a rapid transformation driven by the penetration and expansion of digital technology in various aspects of life. The influence of digital technology is evident in multiple forms, such as mobile devices, social networks, artificial intelligence, or big data, and it is fundamentally changing not only the traditional methods of producing, storing, disseminating, and consuming information but also people's behaviors and patterns of cultural socialization [1].
Print culture is steadily receding in the face of the relentless advancement of digital technology [2]. The researchers find ourselves in an era in which printed books and other cultural media are giving way to the expansion and ubiquity of next-generation media. These technologies are leading to a profound transformation in people's conception and format of culture. This process is referred to as “digital colonialism” by [3] and characterized as the intrusion of technology into all cultural domains that were previously dominated by books, newspapers, and other printed documents.
Historically, books represented a technology that condensed information, ideas, and knowledge into a set of paper pages, creating autonomous and tangible cultural works. In contrast, the internet is characterized by the dissemination of fragmented, interconnected, and constantly edited cultural works. This distinction symbolizes the transition from a “solid” culture based on books to a “liquid” culture within the digital ecosystem [4].
Digitization has facilitated the creation and distribution of audiovisual content, democratizing the production of multimedia materials [5]. Access to cultural works, such as films and songs, is nearly instant and often free. Knowledge is no longer static but ephemeral and adaptable, extending beyond textual literacy. Cultural industries, including textbook publishers, face challenges due to the ubiquity of digital technologies. Open access to educational content has emerged, transforming the nature of digital educational materials [6]. These changes have led to greater flexibility in education, adapting to the current digital culture.

2. The Digital Transformation of Educational Resources

The evolution of educational materials in the digital era and the aim to describe what these resources are and what they offer have been the subject of study in numerous research endeavors over the past decade. Some works [7] have emphasized that educational materials serve multiple functions in the educational context:
  • They are tools that incorporate technological and semantic dimensions, intended to facilitate teaching and learning processes;
  • They fulfill various pedagogical and curricular functions, including class preparation, support during teaching, and assessment;
  • They stimulate learning experiences, enabling students to acquire knowledge.
In this context, educational materials are defined as cultural objects, whether physical or digital, created with the purpose of facilitating learning in educational settings [6]. These materials mediate between knowledge and the learning process, and their interaction occurs in an educational environment influenced by various factors, such as teaching methodology and the availability of resources. The distinction between digital and traditional educational materials has generated considerable debate. In the international literature, there is no single conceptualization, and terms like “learning objects” [8], “digital learning resources” [9], or “open educational resources” [10] have been used.
These digital materials offer unique experiences of cultural communication and knowledge acquisition. Hypertexts, 3D graphics, virtual worlds, video lessons, simulations, and other technologies represent a diverse range of expressive codes and forms of communication that differ significantly from written communication in printed documents. In the educational context, digital materials can be integrated into the curriculum, facilitate communication and social interaction, be flexible and adaptive, cater to users’ needs, and promote active knowledge construction by students [11].

3. The Teacher’s Role in the Face of Digital Didactic Materials (DDM)

Contemporary society demands a new role for education professionals, one not constrained by conventions or rigidities imposed by publishers. Educators must assume a new role when it comes to the incorporation of digital didactic materials, involving the creation of digital resources with clear educational objectives, collaborating with other professionals to share experiences, and developing proposals that promote students’ digital competencies [12]. This approach seeks to provide greater flexibility in teaching, adapt materials to various student needs, and stimulate their involvement in knowledge creation [13]. The integration of technology in education must overcome emotional barriers and demonstrate its utility in the teaching and learning process [14].
In Early Childhood Education, policies promoting information and communication technologies (ICT) have been well-received by educators. They combine digital didactic materials (DDM) with printed materials and hands-on, playful activities. The seamless integration of DDM with other resources aligns with the needs of students in this stage [15][16][17]. Teachers believe that the use of DDM motivates young children, improves their attention, and enhances their academic performance, in line with previous studies [18][19][20][21][22]. The introduction of technology in early childhood education is seen as necessary in today’s society; however, there are concerns about its long-term effects on the development of young children, which currently spark a debate regarding its incorporation in early learning [23].
Primary school teachers have a positive view of the use of DDM in the classroom [24]. They believe that these resources motivate students by combining images, videos, interaction, and text into a single element, in addition to accommodating different learning styles and social diversity in the classroom. DDM should promote interdisciplinarity, linguistic and cultural identity, and the inclusion of diverse groups [25]. However, in practice, educators often combine printed materials with digital resources, reflecting a hybrid approach. Information and communication technologies (ICT) play a key role in the digital literacy of teachers, students, and families [26]. The use of DDM enriches the teaching and learning process by helping achieve educational goals, selecting content, adapting it to student needs, creating learning conditions, and enhancing the quality of education [27].
On the one hand, there was a dearth of studies directly comparing the perceptions of pre-primary and primary school teachers on the use of learning materials. The lack of comparative research may have left unanswered questions about differences or similarities in pedagogical practices between these educational stages.
On the other hand, it is felt that understanding the perceptions of teachers at each of the stages will inevitably help to identify areas where professional development needs to be improved. If, for example, teachers at one stage feel that they do not have sufficient training in the effective use of certain materials or resources, opportunities may arise to offer specific training programs or to investigate existing training schemes.
Finally, the researchers certainly believe that understanding how teachers at different stages perceive and use learning materials will have direct implications for students’ learning, and comparing these will especially improve students’ educational transition processes by deepening the development of students’ digital competence.

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/educsci13111156

References

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  2. Area-Moreira, M.; Marzal, M.A. Entre libros y pantallas. Las bibliotecas escolares ante el desafío digital. Profr. Rev. Currículum Form. Profr. 2016, 20, 214–242.
  3. Casati, R. Elogio del Papel. Contra el Colonialismo Digital; Ariel: Barcelona, Spain, 2015.
  4. Area-Moreira, M.; Pessoa, M.T. From solid to liquid: New literacies to the cultural changes of Web 2.0. Comunicar 2012, 19, 13–20.
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