THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL MEDIA AND THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Abstract

Education is a significant aspect of cognitive culture, and of culture in general. It contributes to the
formation, shaping and development of each individual in society, but also of the whole of society. Education
implies the adoption of many sorts of knowledge, it is used to build and impart certain skills and habits, as well as
practical abilities important for performing numerous professional activities. The educational process conveys
relevant values and norms, necessary and important for an individual’s socialisation and preparation for living in
society. Hence, it greatly influences the shaping of a society’s culture, and the society itself.
For a society’s proper development it is of utmost importance to work on building a strong educational system,
perfecting and applying information and communications technology (ICT), creating and strengthening links
between one’s own educational system and the educational systems of other countries and cultures. For the
development of a country’s educational system it is immensely important to foster and encourage a digital culture.
The application of ICT, and especially the internet, has brought a huge change in the lives of people, their behaviour,
cultural patterns, the way we see the world and everything that surrounds us. ICT now creates new learning
methods, virtual libraries, schools, universities; there is the possibility of distance learning, new insights are gained
into many scientific fields. On the other hand, in the process of educating any individual, school takes a special
place. Its role and significance are invaluable, it provides children with a rich and comprehensive knowledge, builds
their value system, teaches them how to process certain pieces of information in the best possible manner, and how
to interact and cooperate with one another. The school system should not regard digital media as competitors, but as
relevant information transmitters, as a very important and useful tool for completing numerous curricular goals and
tasks, and as a valid partner and ally on the path toward building and shaping the student’s personality. The
application of modern digital media in teaching affects the positions of both teacher and student. Now the teacher is
not the only source of knowledge for the students: The teacher makes use of modern digital media, plans their
proper application and organises the entire teaching process, while the student becomes more active and motivated
for work and learning. The application of modern digital media requires the appropriate training and expertise on the
part of the teachers, and basic digital literacy on the part of the students.