Konteksty Pedagogiczne, 2018, nr 2 (11)

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Maria Chepil, Bożena MarzeC, MiChał Borda

Multimedia in pre-school education Mirosław łukasik

Media in education – digital platforms in practical application

GaBriela Budziszewska, ewa Musiał Supporting the development of computational thinking in children attending grades I–III of elementary school with the use of new technologies as part of multimedia workshops with the EMPIRIA tablets liudMila rusalkina

The use of multimedia technologies as means of improvement in the process of English language training of future doctors aGnieszka TwaróG-kanus

Multimedia in life and education of visually impaired and blind people kaTarzyna Borawska-kalBarCzyk How not to drown in the flood of information? Selected aspects of the information culture of adolescents BeaTa Ciupińska

Cyberspace – dilemmas of an educator pioTr Modzelewski,

wojCieCh oronowiCz-jaśkowiak Gry komputerowe a funkcjonowanie psychospołeczne. Przegląd aktualnych doniesień naukowych

TaTiana kłosińska

Aspects of early familiarization of children with media content in the education environment BarBara MiChałek-piernik Communication between

a chemistry teacher and elementary school students with the use of a subject-dedicated website joanna MyTnik

Educational and therapeutic impact of contemporary animated film characters on the viewer ToMasz Bielak

Meaning management – photography and “personal” media education jarosław paCuła

…jak dorożkarz, …jak szewc, …na czym świat stoi – kląć. O wulgaryzacji polszczyzny i jej antypedagogicznej obecności w mediach

naTalia shandra

Multimedia technologies in building professionally oriented written skills of IT specialists

anna hyla

The image of dragon in literature.

Pedagogical perspective on the basis of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s Hobbit

nr 2(11)/2018

issn: 2300-6471

Konteksty Pedagogiczne pedaGoGiCal ConTexTs2(11)/2018

pedagogical contexts

DOI: 10.19265/KP.2018.211

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne

Pedagogical Contexts

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne

Pedagogical Contexts

DOI: 10.19265/KP.2018.211

2(11)/2018

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RADA NAUKOWA / ADVISORY BOARD

Irena Adamek, Tomasz Gmerek, Jan Grzesiak, Zdzisława Janiszewska-Nieścioruk, Wojciech Kojs, Wiesława Korzeniowska, Mirosław Kowalski, Ewa Kubiak-Szymborska, Sławomir Przybyliński, Alina Szczurek-Boruta, Urszula Szuścik, Bogusław Śliwerski, Jolanta Zielińska

Giuseppe Annacontini (Włochy), Radmila Burkovičová (Republika Czeska), Doris Cihlars (Niemcy), Piero Crispiani (Włochy), Daniela Dato (Włochy), Jean-Marc Dewaele (Anglia) Alwira Galkiene (Litwa), Irena Masojć (Litwa), Natalia Mykytenko (Ukraina), Karel Neubauer (Republika Czeska), Krzysztof Orle- ański (Norwegia), Miroslav Procházka (Republika Czeska), Miluše Vítečková (Republika Czeska), Shu-Lan Yang (Tajwan)

ZESPÓŁ REDAKCYJNY / EDITORIAL BOARD

Redaktor naczelna / Editor-in-chief: Joanna Skibska (kontakt: jskibska@ath.bielsko.pl) Redaktor językowy / Co-editor (Polish texts): Justyna Wojciechowska (kontakt:

jwojciechowska@ath.bielsko.pl)

Redaktor tekstów anglojęzycznych / Co-editor (English texts): Katarzyna Ożańska-Ponikwia Redaktor statystyczny / Statistical editor: Piotr Ziewiec

Redaktorzy tematyczni / Associate editors: Bożena Grzeszkiewicz, Remigiusz J. Kijak, Ewa Kochanowska, Iwona Malorny, Monika Miczka-Pajestka

CZASOPISMO RECENZOWANE / PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL Lista recenzentów jest drukowana w ostatnim numerze danego roku List of reviewers is printed in the last issue of the journal of the year REDAKTOR NUMERU / VOLUME EDITOR

Robert Pysz ISSN: 2300-6471 doi: 10.19265/KP.2018.211

Redakcja tekstów angielskich: Katarzyna Ożańska-Ponikwia Redakcja tekstów polskich: Elwira Zapałowska

Skład: LIBRON Projekt okładki: LIBRON WYDAWCA / PUBLISHER Wydawnictwo LIBRON

Czasopismo indeksowane w bazie Index Copernicus Journal indexed in Index Copernicus Journals Master List

Publikacja dofinansowana przez Wydział Humanistyczno-Społeczny Akademii Techniczno-Humanistycznej w Bielsku-Białej

Publication co-financed by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Studies at the University of Bielsko-Biala ADRES REDAKCJI / ADDRESS OF THE EDITORIAL OFFICE

Katedra Pedagogiki

Akademia Techniczno-Humanistyczna w Bielsku-Białej ul. Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biała

tel. 33/827 92 99 e-mail: kp@ath.bielsko.pl Nakład: 200 egzemplarzy

Wydawnictwo LIBRON Filip Lohner

al. Daszyńskiego 21/13, 31-537 Kraków tel. 12/628 05 12

e-mail: office@libron.pl

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Słowo wstępne / 7 Foreword / 9

Maria Chepil, Bożena Marzec, Michał Borda Multimedia in pre-school education / Multimedia w edukacji przedszkolnej / 11 Mirosław Łukasik

Media in education – digital platforms in practical application /

Media w edukacji – platformy cyfrowe w zastosowaniu praktycznym / 25 Gabriela Budziszewska, Ewa Musiał

Supporting the development of computational thinking in children attending grades I–III of elementary school with the use of new technologies as part of multimedia workshops with the EMPIRIA tablets /

Wspieranie rozwoju myślenia komputacyjnego uczniów w klasach I-III za pomocą nowych technologii w ramach warsztatów multimedialnych z tabletami EMPIRIA / 39

Liudmila Rusalkina

The use of multimedia technologies as means of improvement in the process of English language training of future doctors /

Wykorzystanie multimediów w nauczaniu języka obcego studentów szkół medycznych / 55

Agnieszka Twaróg-Kanus

Multimedia in life and education of visually impaired and blind people / Multimedia w życiu i edukacji osoby słabowidzącej i niewidomej / 65 Katarzyna Borawska-Kalbarczyk

How not to drown in the flood of information? Selected aspects of the information culture of adolescents /

Jak nie utonąć w informacyjnym zalewie? Wybrane aspekty kultury informacyjnej młodzieży / 79

Beata Ciupińska

Cyberspace – dilemmas of an educator / Cyberprzestrzeń – dylematy pedagoga / 95 Piotr Modzelewski, Wojciech Oronowicz-Jaśkowiak

Gry komputerowe a funkcjonowanie psychospołeczne. Przegląd aktualnych doniesień naukowych /

Computer games and psychosocial functioning. Literature review / 105

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Tatiana Kłosińska

Aspects of early familiarization of children

with media content in the education environment / Aspekty wczesnego oswajania z przekazami medialnymi w środowisku wychowującym / 119

Barbara Michałek-Piernik

Communication between a chemistry teacher and elementary school students with the use of a subject-dedicated website /

Komunikacja między nauczycielem chemii a uczniami szkoły podstawowej za pomocą przedmiotowej strony WWW / 135

Joanna Mytnik

Educational and therapeutic impact of contemporary animated film characters on the viewer /

Wpływ edukacyjny i terapeutyczny współczesnych postaci filmu animowanego na widzów / 151

Tomasz Bielak

Meaning management – photography and “personal” media education / Zarządzanie znaczeniem – fotografia i „prywatna” edukacja medialna / 165 Jarosław Pacuła

…jak dorożkarz, …jak szewc, …na czym świat stoi – kląć. O wulgaryzacji polszczyzny i jej antypedagogicznej obecności w mediach /

To swear like a trooper. About the vulgarization of the Polish language and its nonpedagogical entanglement in the media / 179

Natalia Shandra

Multimedia technologies in building professionally oriented written skills of IT specialists /

Profesjonalnie zorientowana komunikacja specjalistów IT w języku angielskim / 197

Anna Hyla

The image of dragon in literature. Pedagogical perspective on the basis of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s Hobbit /

Obraz smoka w literaturze. Perspektywa pedagogiczna oparta na analizie Hobbita Ronalda Reuela Tolkiena / 207

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W bieżącym roku mija 35 lat od opublikowania w „Ruchu Pedagogicznym”

artykułu Ludwika Bandury pt. Pedagogika medialna (Bandura, 1983), uzna- wanego za tekst wprowadzający tytułowe pojęcie do polskojęzycznej literatury pedagogicznej. W okresie tym byliśmy świadkami szczególnie gwałtownych przeobrażeń społeczeństw industrialnych/postindustrialnych i krystalizo- wania się modelu społeczeństwa informacyjnego; wiodącym katalizatorem tych procesów stał się rozwój cyfrowych technologii komunikacyjnych. Przed pedagogiką stanął problem kształcenia i wychowania medialnego nie tylko w kontekście oddziaływania tradycyjnych mediów masowych (prasa, radio, te- lewizja), ale również powszechnie dostępnego Internetu szerokopasmowego oraz pełnej mobilności w dostępie do każdej praktycznie informacji.

Bandura, pod wpływem niemieckiej myśli pedagogicznej, postrzegał peda- gogikę medialną jako subdyscyplinę pedagogiki ogólnej, mającą silne związki z teorią komunikacji. Z czasem jednak pojęcie to zyskało znacznie szerszy za- kres, obejmując trzy podstawowe typy działań pedagogicznych – wychowanie, kształcenie i nauczanie. W Pedagogice medialnej, pierwszym polskojęzycznym podręczniku akademickim z tego zakresu, jako jeden z jej obszarów działania wskazana została również: „[…] technologia informacyjna, podejmująca za- gadnienia związane z wiedzą o technologicznej stronie mediów i ich obsłudze, posługiwaniem się nimi w życiu codziennym” (Siemieniecki, 2007, s. 149).

Obecnie do najciekawszych zagadnień omawianych w pracach teoretycz- nych należą niewątpliwie kwestie, takie jak: kultura cyfrowa jako nowa prze- strzeń edukacji (procesy inkulturacji, socjalizacji, globalizacji i in.); pedagogika medialna w teorii i praktyce – podejścia metodologiczne i perspektywy badawcze; kształtowanie kompetencji związanych z obsługą i wykorzystaniem mediów cyfrowych; dydaktyka wobec multimediów; perspektywy aksjolo- giczne – wychowawcze i etyczne aspekty komunikacji cyfrowej; mechanizmy odbioru i oddziaływania mediów tradycyjnych i cyfrowych; kultura cyfrowa

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8 / Słowo wstępne

jako źródło pożytecznej rozrywki i zabawy; narzędzia cyfrowe w przetwarza- niu i popularyzowaniu wyników badań naukowych w obrębie pedagogiki.

Tom, który prezentujemy Czytelnikowi, celnie wpisuje się w przywołaną problematykę, a teksty w nim zebrane dają bardzo zróżnicowany ogląd badań empirycznych prowadzonych w różnych ośrodkach akademickich. Wskazują one m.in. na kluczową rolę kształtowania w młodych użytkownikach i od- biorcach przekazów medialnych wysokich kompetencji z zakresu „dekodowa- nia” docierającego do nich wielowarstwowego strumienia informacji; istotne w tym procesie jest uczestnictwo nauczyciela/wychowawcy oraz środowiska rodzinnego. Narzędziami, które mogą i powinny ułatwiać to zadanie, są za- równo różnorodne cyfrowe platformy edukacyjne, jak i gry komputerowe.

Autorzy prezentują własne doświadczenia i obserwacje z praktyki szkolnej czy terapeutycznej, a także wyniki analiz materiałów medialnych (audiowizual- nych i językowych) oraz przeprowadzonych badań.

Robert Pysz

Bibliografia

Bandura, L. (1983). Pedagogika medialna. Ruch Pedagogiczny, 3–4.

Siemieniecki, B. (red.). (2007). Pedagogika medialna. Podręcznik akademicki, t. 1.

Warszawa: PWN.

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne 2(11)/2018

This year marks the 35^th anniversary of the publication of Ludwik Bandura’s article entitled Pedagogika medialna (Eng. Media Pedagogy) (Bandura, 1983) in “Ruch Pedagogiczny” (Eng. The Pedagogical Movement), which has been recognized as a text introducing the title concept into the Polish-language pedagogical literature. During this period, we witnessed particularly violent transformations of industrial/postindustrial societies and the crystallization of the information society model; the leading catalyst for these processes has been the development of digital communication technologies. Taking this into consideration, pedagogy had to face the issue of media education and media upbringing considered not only in the context of the impact of the traditional mass media (press, radio, television), but also of the widely available broadband Internet connection and full mobility in the access to practically every information.

L. Bandura, under the influence of the German pedagogical thought, perceived media pedagogy as a sub-discipline of general pedagogy, having strong connections with the theory of communication. With time, however, this concept has expanded, covering three basic types of pedagogical activities – upbringing, education and teaching. Furthermore, Pedagogika medial na, the first Polish academic textbook in this field, mentions “[…]

information technology, addressing issues related to know ledge about the media’s technological side and using them in everyday life” (Siemieniecki, 2007, p. 149) as one of the areas of the activity of the discussed discipline.

Currently, the list of the most interesting issues discussed in the theoretical works includes: digital culture as a new educational space (processes of incul- turation, socialization, globalization and others); media pedagogy in theory and practice – methodological approaches and research perspectives; shaping competencies related to the operation and use of digital media; didactics fac- ing multimedia; axiological perspectives – educational and ethical aspects of

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10 / Foreword

digital communication; mechanisms of reception and the influence of the traditional and digital media; digital culture as a source of useful entertainment and fun; and digital tools in the processing and popularization of research results within pedagogy.

The volume that we present to the reader accurately fits in with the afore- mentioned issues, and the texts collected in it give a very diverse view of empirical research conducted in various academic centers. They emphasize, among others, the key role of shaping in the young users and recipients of media communications high competencies in the field of “decoding” the multi- layer stream of information reaching them; the participation of the teacher/

educator and the family environment is essential in this process. Tools that can and should facilitate this task are both diverse digital educational platforms and computer games. The authors present their own experiences and observations from the school or therapeutic practice, as well as the results of analyzes of media materials (audiovisual and spoken) and conducted research.

Robert Pysz

References

Bandura, L. (1983). Pedagogika medialna. Ruch Pedagogiczny, 3–4.

Siemieniecki, B. (ed.). (2007). Pedagogika medialna. Podręcznik akademicki, t. 1.

Warszawa: PWN.

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne 2(11)/2018

Maria Chepil

chepilmaria@gmail.com

Maria Skłodowska-Curie University in Lublin ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2215-3994

Bożena Marzec

bmarzec@wsb.edu.pl

WSB University of Dąbrowa Górnicza ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8162-4648

Michał Borda

m.borda@sosnowiec.opoka.org.pl

The Theological Institute of Missionary Priests in Kraków ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6284-6445

Multimedia in pre-school education

Introduction

Pre-school children undergo an intensive developmental process. The physical, psychic, emotional, social-moral, as well as religious development, takes place in the multimedia space, which is the living environment of a contemporary human being. In this article the authors undertake an academic reflexion on various ways in which the multimedia are used in pre-school education, paying special attention to possibilities resulting from the use of an interactive board. The experiences of the 26^th M. Konopnicka Primary School with Pre-school Units in Dąbrowa Górnicza have proven helpful because that educational establishment accomplished successfully a professional, Polish

www.kontekstypedagogiczne.pl

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12 / Maria Chepil, Bożena Marzec, Michał Borda

nationwide program “Digital school”. The authors have reviewed the literature on using the multimedia in education. They have also noticed offers for pre-schools which publishing houses and internet educational platforms have at their disposal. On the base of these observations and interviews with the teachers of the 26^th Primary School in Dąbrowa Górnicza, possibilities of using the multimedia in pre-school education have been shown. Therefore, the aim of this publication is to show a practical use of the multimedia at work with a pre-school child.

The multimedia – the review of chosen standpoints

Let us first address the question: What are the multimedia? The answer to this question was searched for in works of such researchers of the topic as:

J. Gajda (2010), M. Gołaszewska (1999), J. Bednarek (2006), J. Juszczyk- Rygałło (2013), D. Monet (1999), J. Morbitzer (2002/2003), H. Basaj, A. Borowiecka, M. Borowiecki, B. Boryczka, G. Gregorczyk, D. Janczak, W. Jochemczyk, K. Olędzka, M. Pawlik, I. Rudnicka, A. Samulska, J.A. Wierz-

bicki, J. Wierzbicki (2009) and J. Skibska (2014).

Gajda (2010) describes the multimedia as

the technical means whose base is a computer in the network, with software, connected to other media such as a monitor, z VCR player, a CD player, a scanner, a printer, a microphone, which makes it possible to use and com- bine any various texts taking their codes into account, as well as to process, create and distribute them via the Internet. (p. 21)

Whereas, Gołaszewska (1999) claims that “the multimedia (otherwise the electronic media) can be defined as «various audio-visual means» – a text, a sound, a picture, an animation – being complementary to one another and being used in one message” (p. 19).

According to Bednarek (2006), the multimedia system is: “any IT system being able to process, store and distribute the data in the form of sound, moving pictures, photos, computer graphics and texts” (p. 46). But he also draws attention to a very important attribute which is the user’s interaction with the system.

The multimedia is also commonly called new media. According to Monet (1999), from the technological point of view, they describe “the integrated interactive media” (p. 8).

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Another study says that: “the multimedia […] has the dual nature. It may turn out to be one of the most important means of educating, as well as the leading one in the entertainment. What is more, a new term has been formed – edutainment – which defines the software combining educational and entertainment elements in such a way that each of them plays a crucial role” (Basaj and others, 2009, p. 36).

Juszczyk-Rygałło (2013) thinks that multimedia are “didactical means, which educate and give fun, ideally fitted into a child’s development time.

Because of the possibility of simultaneous influence onto various senses in multimedia education, a lot of channels absorbing knowledge and skills are started” (p. 82). Therefore, in her opinion, the multimedia in pre-school education should appear naturally from the very beginning of education, which is methodically suitable for teachers and very attractive for pupils.

It must be remembered that it has to be adjusted to children’s perceptive abilities.

Bednarek (2006) draws teachers’ attention to the fact that using the multimedia activates multi-sense cognition, which at an early stage of a child’s development, plays a very important didactical part, therefore: “in this process […] transferring information happens in the way of activities through using active means (natural objects and model), in the way of pictures (visual and audiovisual materials) and in the symbolic way (verbal and graphic materials)” (p. 86).

Morbitzer (2002/2003) has a different attitude towards the multimedia and says that using it is “more like admiration of the achievements of the contemporary technique than an expression of appreciation of its educational capabilities” (p. 32).

Łacina (2015) summing up the EU project entitled “Competences of fe- male and male teachers as an element of building an educating organization and a local educational strategy in the Ostrzeszow county” claims that the multimedia is modern and constantly developing engineering and IT solutions which more often and more completely link various forms of messaging:

a sound, a picture, a text or an animation (p. 2).

It is difficult to doubt that multimedia may be excellent didactic help but as long as it is used rationally, which results from the functional theory of learning. According to Bednarek, quoted above (2006), the basis of education is not only experience and memory, but also a possibility of acquiring knowledge from a lot of information channels and motivation, which in specific

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circumstances, is a factor inspiring pupils to undertake creative and innova- tive activities (p. 88)

Strykowski (2003) believes that “the advantages of the multimedia education rest on the fact that it is the multi-code, multi-sense and multi-side education which activates learners” (p. 116). The quoted author also points out that the multimedia “message is carried out in many languages: in the symbolic language (verbal and graphic communications), in the language of visual, aural and audiovisual pictures, as well as the interactive media”

(p. 116–117).

The variety of presented definitions of the multimedia indicates an inter- disciplinary character of the described notion. For the sake of this publication, they are described as the contemporary means of social communication, which not only belong to the most dynamic and “ubiquitous” elements of the contemporary culture but at the same time, becoming a creator of new life space for a human being and the human society.

Teachers’ attitude towards the multimedia

In contemporary education, the conception of multimedia education has become the prevailing paradigm. It assumes a complex use of simple and technical, printed and electronic educational media and, which is especially crucial, its functional reception which counts: aims and tasks and educational capabilities of the media itself. The basic feature of the educational material functions, as for their educational usefulness, is their numerous playability based on a very high level of the didactic material, as well as a permanent way of recording its contents. The advantages of the multimedia educations rest on the fact that it is the multi-code, multi-sense and multi-sided education activating learners. In the early education, it is very important to use modern technologies, including the multimedia educational programs, which can be used in the educational process on an equal basis as other didactic means.

It is worth reminding here about the requirements towards teachers published in the Regulation of the Ministry of National Education on 1^st March 2013, concerning acquiring professional advancement degrees by teachers (the Journal of Law and Dispositions of 2013, pos. 393). As early as for a contract teacher, who does their period of training to become a nominated teacher in § 7 par. 2 pt. 3 says that it is absolutely necessary to possess skills to

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use information and communication technologies at work. Similarly, in case of advancement for a certified teacher degree, a requirement in § 8 par. 2 pt. 2 concerns the use of information and communication technologies at work.

The Legislator in this way has obliged teachers to use modern technologies at their work.

The multimedia is often a base of developing a didactical process in attractive forms and conditions. It is also an incentive to explain and put meanings in order. In this way, it makes it possible to use and expand the knowledge that children possess. Moreover, as Juszczyk-Rygałło says (2013) “it makes it possible to personalize the educational process, adjust the pace of development of educational efficiency to children’s perceptive-receptive abilities, also those of subnormal or limited psychic and motor functions” (p. 88–89).

One of the most popular types of multimedia is an interactive board, willingly used by the teachers in the pre-school units in the 26^th Primary School in Dąbrowa Górnicza. Cimcioch (2016) has used a qualitative method based on interviews with five teachers that took place at the turn of January and February 2018. For the sake of this article, the research interview was treated in accordance with Kvale’s (2011) definition. In his opinion, such an interview searches for quality knowledge expressed in the everyday language.

It also makes it possible to acquire various descriptions of the researched reality, referring to the researched teachers’ experiences and ways of acting. The respondents, taking part in the research, have teaching qualifications to teach at this educational level, and they are at different levels of professional advancement grades (two of them are certified teachers, one is nominated, one is a contract teacher, and one is apprentice teacher starting her professional work in the pre-school).

The equipment in pre-schools

In the beginning, all the respondents were asked a question: “Is it enough to equip pre-school only with modern didactical means to be able to run classes in an attractive way for children?”. The teachers in unison answered that the equipment only would not be enough. Proper computer programs are very important. Apart from MS Office pack and graphics programs, which are tools used by the teachers, another category is special computer programs dedicated to teaching in pre-schools. Łacina (2015), summing up the project co-founded with The European Union wrote that:

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they are for example discs which are included in packs of books from Juka publishing house, among others: Interactive games for a 3-year-old, Interactive games for a 4-year-old, Interactive games for a 5-year-old and 6-year-old, Clever child – I am 6–7 years old, The appetite for knowledge with Socrates, The pre-school dwarfs, Interactive exercises for pre-school learners and The children’s multimedia world. Moreover, the e-books are used in the pre-school, which fill in the traditional reading of fables. The fables are read by, among the others, Piotr Fronczewski and Emilian Ka- miński. (p. 7)

In Milinkiewicz’s opinion: “Thanks to educational programs acquiring knowledge and shaping skills are becoming more interesting and brings satisfaction to both children and teachers. However, we must follow the rule saying that they must be propositions adjusted to their level and abilities and influence a child’s comprehensive development…” (http://www.przedszkola.

edu.pl). The author points out that thanks to it we can avoid dangers such as computer games and plays, which have a negative influence on a child’s psyche because they quite often contain elements of aggression.

On the base of the first question of the interview, new ones arise: Is the pre-school age the best to time make a child acquainted with the multimedia devices? Does the child’s actual contact with the electronic equipment results from the thought-over and consequent path of their development? Is it the ef- fect of natural contact with such devices being in the child’s surrounding? The education has faced the massive computerization of the world. Computers have entered our everyday life and it is hard to imagine not being able to use them. There is no doubt that the computer is a modern educational tool for a wide spectrum of uses. It is worth underlining that the teacher’s job, in this context, is to give proper patterns of how to use technical achievements. The issues were widely approached by Jan Paul II in his preaching. As early as in 1990, he pointed at the computer as an indispensable tool of evangelization,

education and catechizing in the present times. In His message “The Mission of the Church in the era of computers”, the Pope directly recommended the Church representatives to “use modern capabilities, which opened progress in the area of computer and satellite technique”. He saw huge possibilities for teaching and catechizing of the believers, but also called for big responsibility and common sense while using them.

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne 2(11)/2018 Using an interactive board in pre-school units in the 26

^th

Maria Konopnicka Primary School in Dąbrowa Górnicza – presentation of examples

During the interview, the authors of the article also asked about ways of using an interactive board while working with children. One of the teachers very willingly shared her experiences. Apart from classes of pre-school education in a pedagogic group, she also runs English classes in all pre-school units.

She documented her classes by taking photos of children during their work with an interactive board.

Figure 1.

I can paint on this board!

Source: Downloaded from: http//sp26dg.edupage.org/ [accessed: 28.02.2018].

The teacher, wanting to check if younger pre-school children will be interested in working with an interactive board, initially used the equipment which was in school classrooms of integrated education. The progress, made by children thanks to the use of modern technology, influenced a decision about equipping the pre-school unit with such devices. In 2018 an interactive board was installed together with programs enabling the children to do exercises from the range of small and big motor activities, mathematical tasks, classifying various objects, recognizing sounds made by animals, recognizing shadows and dress up a child appropriately to a season. In the teacher’s opinion, those apparently so simple tasks, gave the children a lot of excitement.

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Each child wanted to come up to the board and show that they could also work with it, even those among the shiest ones. When the pre-school children had learnt the basics of the interactive board use, the teacher started using the yummy.pl portal during her English classes. During the interview she pointed out the website:

Figure 2.

The view of the educational portal website.

Source: Downloaded from: http//www.yummy.pl [accessed: 29.04.2018].

As it can be noticed in the above picture, there is a special overlap for pre- school learners. The teacher reports:

The proper overlap with games can be chosen e.g. fruit memory, the children repeat and consolidate names of fruit in English (they practice mainly memory), they set up a proper number of figures (then they count in English, practice adding and deducting), they make sandwiches (they learn the names of ingredients of sandwiches, but also setting them in the right order – according to the given order), they learn the names of family members. (www.sp26dg.edupage.org)

The teacher points out that the exercises concerning the family cause children the most problems, because the photographed family consists of many members, and for each of member there are other people who are their son, dad, daughter, mum etc.

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Figure 3.

Who is who in this family?

In the interview, the teacher mentions that in some exercises it is necessary to have reflex, but not only that. The children also consolidate names of colours and shapes in English, count in English and learn to name emotions.

In the game of shadow theatre, children have to give a proper name of the presented animal.

A negative side of working with the board is the fact that only one child can use it at the same time. A positive side of this situation is the fact that other children learn how to be patient. A possibility of working with the board can sometimes be a form of an award.

Another teacher, working in the pre-school unit shared her experiences connected with working with the interactive board in the 26^th Primary School in Dąbrowa Górnicza: “Classes with the board usually begin with something connected with topics of the week. Around the 11th November, I discussed with the children the national symbols and they listened to the national an- them. In December we had St. Clause Day, and then Christmas traditions in different countries and after they listened to Christmas carols in various languages”. At the same time, the teacher underlines that the classes are not limited only to working with the board, but they are also full of breaks for

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kinesthetic activities. All songs sung by the children are illustrated with moves.

The interviewed teacher says:

That’s the game and we use here YouTube; we use songs and ready-made choreographies to well-known songs. The children look at the board and they repeat moves appearing in a song, each of them being able to see the picture because of the size of the board. Moreover, a lot of available recordings are accompanied by lyrics appearing on the board, which is helpful both for the teachers and the children, not only those who can read. Wi- thout any doubt, it is an element of global reading. A child, thanks to the possibility of watching and listening, gets activated kinesthetically, which is helpful while acquiring knowledge. We dance, play and get back to games, then we again dance, sing and our time is over. (www.sp26dg.edupage.org) She also adds: “I know it is nothing creative or ambitious but my children are happy when we go to the classroom with the board. There are various attractive portals such as squla.pl, but my children need simple, short sentences and a lot of moving with a picture”.

Figure 4.

So let’s move a little bit now…

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne 2(11)/2018 The educational portals for pre-schools

The Yummy educational-language portal (http://www.yummy.pl/), which is used by the English teacher in the described pre-school unit, offers the young- sters an interesting method of learning by playing. Games for children are divided into particular topical categories e.g. mathematical games, puzzles, dressing up printed figures or colouring. Colouring and dressing up are ideal ways to create in children a taste of esthetic, spatial thinking, inventiveness and kinesthetic coordination. They can be a great preparation for further foreign language learning.

Thanks to the speech therapy part of the portal for children, the youngster can be taught proper speaking. The proposed exercises are a source of inspira- tion for speech therapists and teachers, but they are also a great help for parents to practice proper pronunciation with their children.

It is possible to find free online language games for children at the early pre-school age. Their advantage is the participation of native language speaking children in making recordings (children native speakers). In this way pre- school children get another motivation learning from their peers. Games are divided into topical categories which have been mentioned before. All of them shape comprehensive skills of pre-school children, and at the same time they are unforgettable, virtual journey into the child’s world of imagination (http://

www.yummy.pl/).

The previously mentioned Squla (https://www.squla.pl/) is also a modern educational platform, which helps every child to develop their talents and interests. It is intended for both school students and for pre-school children.

Figure 5.

The view of a page of the internet educational portal.

Source: Downloaded from: https//www.squla.pl [accessed: 29.04.2018].

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Squla makes interactive games, quizzes and educational films available in order to interest children to study systematically and on their own. It covers the program of pre-school education and, what is important, is compliant with the core curriculum of the pre-school education by The Ministry of Na- tional Education for the school year of 2017/2018. Squla is adjusted to a lot of devices: a computer, a tablet or a smartphone. It makes it possible for parents to follow their children’s progress in the parent’s panel (https://squla.pl).

All the teachers taking part in the research claim that thanks to educational programs, children acquire knowledge and shape their skills in a more interesting way what is giving them a lot of satisfaction. However, the condition is to adjust the material to children’s level and abilities, because only then they have an influence on their comprehensive development. As another teacher stresses out: “They should make it easier to acquire knowledge and shape such skills as reflex, patience, stamina, logical thinking, visual-motor coordination, practice perceptivity, manual skills, concentration, activate and inspire imagination”.

Conclusion

The multimedia supports activities undertaken by a teacher and children, it makes classes more attractive, it shapes and develops self-dependence. Com- puter multimedia programs take into account the child’s cognitive possibilities and learning fun. Thanks to it, a child has a possibility to do numerous varied and interactive exercises of various level of difficulty. In Skibska’s opinion (2014) “Educational usefulness and attractiveness of IT didactical means results from special features of a computer, which allows to, in a great extent, simultaneously influence all senses of an individual” (p. 385). A well-made multimedia program is the one which uses high-quality graphics, very often enriched with special effects and animation and sound effects.

The offer of the educational software for children at the pre-school age which is available on the Polish market is quite wide and is constantly grow- ing. Every teacher planning to use a computer during classes should though realize that the full success will be ensured only by a computer program adjusted to aims and contents of education carried out during the classes.

The contemporary pre-school children are “Digital natives” – a generation brought up from their very first months of life in a digital environment. This is the generation which rapidly learns how to use multimedia devices as a tool to search for, select and gather information (Bougsiaa & Kopcewicz, 2016).

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Summing up, it is worth stressing out that in the 21^st century, not only have changed the methods used in working with children but so have didactic means. In common with traditional toys such as building blocks or dolls, without which we cannot imagine a pre-school, more and more often the multimedia, which is the natural environment of the generation of children, is used in the pedagogic-didactic process.

References

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Bednarek, J. (2006). Multimedia w kształceniu. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

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Cimcioch, K. (2016). Tablica interaktywna – nowoczesny środek dydaktyczny – wsparciem w edukacji wczesnoszkolnej (i nie tylko). Konteksty Pedagogiczne, 1(6), 197–210.

Gajda, J. (2010). Media w edukacji. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Impuls.

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J. Kancir (ed.), Aktuálne otázky prírodovedno-technických predmetov a prierezových tém v primárnej edukácii (p. 80–90). Prešov: Pedagogická fakulta PU v Prešove.

Kvale, S. (2011). Prowadzenie wywiadów, trans. A. Dziuban. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

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pl/asp/…/publikacja_na_strone_p._magdaleny_laciny.pdf. [accessed: 29.04.2018].

Milinkiewicz, D. (b.d.w.). Programy multimedialne dla dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym, http://www.przedszkola.edu.pl/programy-multimedialne-dla-dzieci-w-wieku- przedszkolnym.html. [accessed: 22.02.2018].

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Morbitzer, J. (2002/2003). O niektórych mitach komputerowej edukacji. Konspekt, 13, 30–35.

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Multimedia in pre-school education

Summary: The authors of the article undertake an academic reflection on using the multimedia in pre-school education. On the bases of the example of the 26^th Prima- ry School with Pre-school Units in Dąbrowa Górnicza, the advantages of using the interactive board during classes have been presented. The results of the Authors’ own research carried out among pre-school teachers, have been presented. The inevitabi- lity of using the multimedia in the pedagogic-didactic process has been pointed out.

Keywords: multimedia, interactive board, children, educational aids, programs, pre-school

Multimedia w edukacji przedszkolnej

Streszczenie: Autorzy artykułu podejmują refleksję naukową nad wykorzysta- niem multimediów w edukacji przedszkolnej. Na podstawie przykładu Szkoły Podstawowej z Jednostkami Przedszkolnymi nr 26 w Dąbrowie Górniczej przed- stawiają zalety korzystania z tablicy interaktywnej podczas zajęć. Relacjonują wyniki badań własnych, przeprowadzonych wśród nauczycieli przedszkolnych.

Wskazują także na nieuchronność korzystania z multimediów w procesie peda- gogiczno-dydaktycznym.

Słowa kluczowe: multimedia, tablica interaktywna, dzieci, pomoce edukacyjne, przedszkole

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne 2(11)/2018

Mirosław Łukasik

mirek_luk@o2.pl University of Silesia

ORCID iD 0000-0002-1379-2778

Media in education – digital platforms in practical application

1. Media education as a leading direction of e-learning

E-learning is a type of education that changes the current activity of students and teachers. The teacher must show increased motivation and much greater willingness to activate students. Motivation and internal self-control, which are necessary for each student, must be additionally initiated and supported by the teacher “for example in the form of initial hints on how to organize work, rather than those content-related” (Wedeł-Domaradzka

& Raczyńska, 2013, p. 4). Such activities change the role of teachers. From now on their task is not only to transfer knowledge but also to support students in achieving their goals. The e-teacher should approach each student individually (in the same way as during traditional classes) because in the so-called “virtual classroom” some students are more active and interested in a specific subject of teaching than others. Therefore, the task of the teacher is to determine the best way to accomplish previously set learning goals. This can be done by dividing the material into modules, i.e. thematic blocks, de- termining the time of work on a specific module and the rules of assessment, indicating additional sources of information, and giving the opportunity to consolidate or repeat material (Wedeł-Domaradzka & Raczyńska, 2013, p. 4).

According to Strykowski (1996), educational media are various kinds of objects, devices, mass media and material that allow you to obtain various

www.kontekstypedagogiczne.pl

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26 / Mirosław Łukasik

types of information, and also transfer information from the sender to the recipient in the form of messages, i.e. images, sounds and words. The media allow schoolchildren and students to perform various activities of intellectual and manual character, as well as to communicate. According to this definition, the media should include:

• printed and pictorial material;

• slides;

• models;

• overheads;

• recordings;

• radio programs;

• video programs;

• computer software;

• Internet resources (Strykowski, 1996, p. 4–8).

Multimedia is the main source of information. The multidimensional nature of reality means that the hitherto known forms of communication are no longer sufficient to describe contemporary reality. It is believed that only new, pictorial forms allow to understand the huge range and complexity of contemporary phenomena and processes. The student has the opportunity to learn about the past, present and create the future in the virtual world. The student can also observe and influence processes that cannot be explored in a school classroom, for example, due to their health- or life-threatening character. The boundaries of space and time are exceeded, and students may use the intellectual achievements of all mankind.

Students meet the world when their entire personality and psychic spheres are involved in their cognitive processes, which includes also the emotional, motivational and intellectual spheres.

Media, and in particular multimedia, evoke not only specific intellectual states, but also emotions, emotional and expressive experiences, and thus arouse commitment and interest in taught material. There is a close relationship between emotions and motivation. The media, by influencing the emotional sphere of a human being, triggers certain motivational processes.

They can shape a system of values, beliefs and attitudes, and so they serve education and socialization. (Jędryczkowski, 2008, p. 7)

Media increases the attractiveness and effectiveness of educational activities.

Teachers or lecturers use various didactic aids during classes. The important

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thing is that the transfer of knowledge should not be limited only to the bare transfer of information. It should also contain a creative element, that is, be attractive to students. The “core curriculum of general education” indicates that

“at school students should shape their skills during practical use of acquired knowledge, in order to prepare better to work in the conditions of the modern world” (Podstawa programowa kształcenia ogólnego…). In today’s world, previously used technical means, like radio, TV, tape recorder or video recorder are no longer sufficient. One of the most important tasks for modern teaching is:

“Searching, arranging and using information from various sources, as well as the ability to use electronic data carriers and other technical tools, which are typi- cal of modern civilization” (Podstawa programowa kształcenia ogólnego…).

Marciniak (2018, p. 157) writes that:

media is a key category in the description of contemporary socio-cultural reality. Our society is called, among others, information network, semi- statistical or technical and media can be classified (next to primary groups, economy or work) to socializing institutions for children and youth (Gid- dens, 2008, p. 50–51). At the same time, the ubiquitous mass media shape attitudes, behaviours and life values of recipients, even if they do not want it (Goban-Klas, 2005, p. 271–273). In what direction is this media socialization going? In popular (scientific) literature, but also in colloquial opinion, a critical discourse towards the media is fairly clear, in which they reach the

“the accused’s stand” for the “spoiling” of contemporary youth and adults.

The current media analyses and studies mainly concern digital technologies and social consequences resulting from their use in everyday life: digital inequalities; social media, digital media relations (online) and traditional, their impact on political, cultural, social and identity life (Klichowski

& Marciniak, 2013).

2. The use of digital platforms on the example of higher education

In order to analyze in detail how e-learning platforms are used in practice by Polish universities, research was carried out at three Polish universities using three different digital platforms. The list of tested systems is as follows (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014):

• Moodle – it is based on the GNU GPL license. This system is used at the Gdańsk University of Technology by approximately 25,000 students.

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• ILIAS – this system is also based on the GNU GPL license, very similar to Moodle. It is used by the Sopot College, by about 400 students. It is used here not only as an e-learning platform, but also serves as the administrative support for all types of studies at this university.

• EDUX – it is a system used in the Polish-Japanese Academy of Infor- mation Technology, teaching about 4,000 students.

The Moddle platform has been operating for over a dozen years at the Gdańsk University of Technology. Within the platform, we can distinguish a universal installation for students of all faculties, and a separate installation created exclusively for the Faculty of Management and Economics. There are about three hundred courses on the latter platform, the aim of which is to support the teaching process in all fields of study which are taught at the Faculty of Management and Economics. These courses are similar to classes that are carried out at the faculty as part- of full-time studies. The Moodle platform has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include:

• availability;

• constant access through the network to the platform and its contents at any time of the day, which allows students to individually choose the time of the study, adjusted to their abilities and needs;

• mobility – “material is available from any place and with the use of various types of devices having access to the Internet, such as a computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet” (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014, p. 82);

• modifiability – allows you to easily create and edit content that is published thanks to the platform while using many forms of presentation;

• the platform contains many functionalities and tools, the appropriate use of which may increase the attractiveness of the conducted courses;

• easy communication – allows students and lecturers to get in touch quickly outside scheduled hours. The lecturer can quickly inform all students, for example about changes related to the course (Garnik

& Redlarski, 2014);

• standardization of the area of knowledge – the content of the course is divided into thematic blocks, which greatly facilitates the determina- tion of the scope of knowledge to be mastered. It also allows for planning the division of content into lessons.

However, the Moodle system also has disadvantages, which mainly include the lack of sufficient interaction with the user. It should also be noted that a large part of the material that is made available as part of the course is

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characterized by low interactivity, as these are usually documents published on the platform. This means that the platform is treated as a kind of material repository rather than an interactive teaching system. Another disadvantage is the lack of integration with other Moodle systems. This system does not have integration with other IT systems available at the university. This means that users are forced to use several systems at the same time to obtain additional information (for example from the dean’s office). Another disadvantage is a large amount of involvement in developing material. Creating material in an attractive form requires specialized software and a large amount of time.

Next disadvantage is the need for high motivation – the use of such courses forces the users of the platform to self-discipline and motivation to learn.

Particular attention should also be paid to the extended learning time. Users of this platform claim that the acquisition of the same knowledge is done in a definitely longer time in the case of e-learning courses compared to the traditional form of teaching (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014).

ILIAS is the next discussed platform. The practical application of this platform will be discussed on the basis of research carried out at the Sopot Col- lege. ILIAS is a platform that has been used for several years. Several dozens of courses have been made available on the platform. Unlike Moodle, this platform has been integrated with the organizational units of the university.

As a result, users can use a lot of additional information related to the imple- mentation of the entire course of study. Among the courses offered by the platform, material related to full-time studies classes dominate. The research allowed for the following conclusions to be drawn. This system has similar advantages and disadvantages as the Moodle system (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014).

The main differences are in the benefits of ILIAS, that is integrated with other systems that operate at the university. The ILIAS platform supports the scholarship commission, scientific circles and the dean’s office. Information from these departments is extremely important for every student. Of great significance is the fact that the system provides the availability of lecturers, class schedule, didactic material, job or additional classes offers.

Moving on, the EDUX platform is subject to more thorough research as the aim of the research was not only to assess the system’s current state but also its improvements. EDUX “is a dedicated e-learning system created for its own needs by a team of IT-specialists from the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw.” (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014, p. 84).

In 2011 this system replaced the previously used EDU system. The EDU

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system had quite limited capabilities, therefore it ceased to be used in 2007.

The new system was to be tailored to the needs of the university because, in addition to full-time classes, it also conducts studies in remote mode, for which the e-learning platform seems to be essential. This platform is extremely complex and allows you to flexibly add necessary functionalities by the person conducting the course. The platform has many modules such as placing tasks, tests, assessing learning progress, etc.

Just as in all above mentioned platforms, the course may be added to the system only by the administrator. It is also the administrator who assigns students to specific courses, based on a list from the dean’s office. But, the configuration of the course content allows for choosing the right modules by the person conducting the course. The system has as many as seventeen modules, which can be made available to all users of the course by the lecturer.

The most important modules include:

• announcements – relevant information for the participants of the course is placed there;

• lectures – created outside the e-learning system lecture material is published there;

• score – there are students’ grades there. it is also possible to calculate semester final grades with the help of a special algorithm;

• tests and quizzes – interactive tests for students;

• material – a collection of additional material for students

• websites – thanks to this module it is possible to manage training material that is attached to the course as an HTML page;

• task folders are a network resource that allows students to submit their work

• forum and chat – thanks to it communication between users of the course and the lecturer is possible. Chat allows you to contact in tel- econferencing mode, using also image and sound transmission;

• workspace – allows you to exchange files within a group or between groups;

• calendar – descriptions assigned to individual dates – for example, the date of the test;

• links – it is possible to send links useful to participants of the course;

• FAQ – a list of frequently asked questions and answers to these questions;

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• lessons – “contains your own HTML editor for creating tutorial material” (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014, p. 82);

• tasks – allows lecturers to create tasks with any content and allows for assigning these tasks to specific students. This is especially useful when dividing tasks between project participants;

• bibliography – a description of textbooks, material and other useful external sources.

Particular attention should be paid to the fact that the lecturer is able to view students’ activity thanks to the access to statistics regarding the views of individual modules. This is a big advantage over other systems that are discussed above. The big advantage of the platform is also the possibility of direct contact with the lecturer, as the teleconference system creates an interaction, similar to the one that exists in traditional studies (Garnik

& Redlarski, 2014).

This system is constantly evolving. However, it is used only to a small extent.

In order to improve it and establish the reasons for the low use rate, two types of research were conducted: the first one was based on the expert method, the second had the form of a survey conducted among students and lecturers of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in its all three departments: in Warsaw, Gdańsk and Bytom. The research was carried out in the first half of 2013, during the summer semester. The ergo- nomics of the user interface were evaluated using the expert method. Niel- sen’s heuristics were used in this process. (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014, p. 86) The most important findings of this study showed that the main problems of the platform are related to the interaction of the system. The main problems are:

• difficulty in understanding the messages and terminology used in the interface;

• too many elements of similar purpose;

• use of similar graphic signs and concepts to designate elements that differ from one another;

• susceptibility to errors, which are related to the lack of intuitive interface;

• rare error messages;

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• lack of instructions and documentation for users, a limited support system (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014).

The most important disadvantage of the system is that lecturers at full- time studies use it far too rarely. Research has shown that there is a lack of documentation and training for lecturers, with the help of which they could discover the capabilities of the system.

This means that lecturers use this system only when they are forced to do so, for example by conducting a course in a remote mode. They use only those modules they are familiar with. It should be noted that the lecturers of the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology are not obliged to use this system.

In addition, users complained about over-functionality, low intuitiveness, no version for mobile devices, calendar not compatible with applications used in the cloud (the Academy has a Google Docs service that also includes a calendar), no integration with the virtual dean’s office and others. (Garnik

& Redlarski, 2014, p. 87)

The discussed research has revealed that:

• only a small group of lecturers uses this platform;

• lecturers do not use all of the seventeen modules;

• it often happens that during the entire semester students do not use the platform at all, because none of the lecturers has launched a course on the platform;

• it can be considered that the reason for this is the opaque user interface.

The respondents recognized that:

• purpose of particular modules is unknown;

• interface elements, such as names and icons, are not clear;

• a number of modules have very similar functionality, which indicat- ed the need to reduce the number of modules (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014).

However, according to the respondents, the most important problem is the lecturers’ ignorance of the platform, which occurs due to:

• no support system (it was only applied to some modules);

• insufficient documentation;

• lack of training dedicated to system users (Garnik & Redlarski, 2014).

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Konteksty Pedagogiczne 2(11)/2018 3. Didactic advantages of platforms

It is not difficult to guess that the creation of educational platforms is closely related to the development of information society. The rapid development of modern technologies meant that almost all institutions were forced to verify their approach to promoting knowledge. Such terms as “distance learning” or “remote teaching” (in Poland referred to as e-education) do not show all the possibilities offered by e-learning. Educational platforms give access to many educational materials from any device, for example, a tablet, phone or any computer. There are no time limits here. Academic e-learning is understood as a “virtual university” where traditional didactics acquire a completely new form. Not only at universities, but also at cultural institutions and enterprises, online courses are gradually replacing traditional training, since educational platforms allow users to take an active part in the remote learning process. A good example here is China, where in 2012, out of twelve million students about two and a half million studied remotely. Initially, correspond- ence education was used. The history of this type of education dates back to the 19^th century. About 200 years ago, this way of studying was incredibly popular in Poland.

The communication difficulties that existed at that time were much larger than today. “An obvious conclusion can be drawn: distance education was not created as a result of the development of modern technologies, but using them improved its form. E-learning can be divided according to availability in time, techniques used, student-teacher relationship, attitude to traditional teaching, and the degree of formalization.” (Wodecki, 2006, p. 11–12). Dis- tance learning should be adapted to the needs of specific institutions. The choice of appropriate solutions should be left to the course author or persons responsible for the proper functioning of the educational platform. There are many advantages of e-learning. The main advantage is that it allows you to learn at any time and anywhere, and monitor the speed of work. Another advantage of e-learning is that it reduces costs for students and lecturers. Lec- turers and students do not have to commute to the place where the course is organized, and course organizers do not have to pay for renting rooms. Mod- ern technologies have a significant impact on reducing communication costs.

It is believed that the contact of a lecturer with a student is forty times cheaper compared to the traditional meeting (Komańda, 2014, p. 53).