NAUK.si: Using Learning Blocks to Prepare E-Content for Teaching Mathematics

Introduction

The world we live in is currently undergoing substantial changes. Namely, we are witnessing the process of transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. In the last 100 years our lives have virtually been turned upside down. For example, a surgeon from the second half of the 19^th century would be completely lost if he were to walk into a modern operating room. Not just because of all the new equipment; the change in the procedures performed is even greater.

What if a teacher travelled through time? Would he or she see any substantial changes in the educational process? The world is changing rapidly, but the educational system is not keeping pace. The currently prevailing educational model is still the same as the one established in the 19^th century, developed to meet the needs of industrial economy. At the time, there were a certain number of children in the classroom, who were all taught in the same way, using the same approach and the same teaching materials (http://www.wearethepeoplemovie.com, Banathy, 1991). However, just as everything else, education needs to be customized.

There has been extensive research done regarding the appropriate role of technology in the educational process; therefore, we will not even attempt to cite the numerous sources. However, the findings can be neatly summarized in two sentences; both are quotations from the Teaching Matters booklet: A handbook for UTS academic staff from Institute for Interactive Media and Learning, University of Technology, Sydney (IML, 2009). The first one states that “New technologies should be used in the most appropriate way to provide a quality learning experience for students. “, whereas the second one determines that “The most effective kind of learning experience is determined not by the technology available, but by considering what is most appropriate for the students, the subject and the learning objectives and then selecting the most appropriate technology to use.”