Abstract:

The technological changes that define the digital age present challenges to the educational system that demand adjusting programs and teaching strategies to accommodate the technological advancements. One of the portable instruments that has become popular in recent years in the educational system is the Tablet. The Tablet enables the student easy access to information whenever and wherever they choose and encourages cognitive activities like intelligent reading of the information, organization of information, analysis of information and sharing of information. The student learns to deal with an ever-changing reality from moment to moment, with an abundance of information and with developing technology and also acquires the skills of an independent learner. Learning via the Tablet also enables interaction between the teachers and students and between the students themselves by creating shared files and by taking part in various learning communities online.

This research examined the effect of introducing change in the school – the use of Tablets for teaching and learning, the teacher's perspective on the use of new teaching strategies versus traditional teaching methods.

The research was conducted using the Qualitative method, in this framework 10 in-depth interviews were conducted using general questions with teachers and workers in addition to five lessons that were observed where ICT was used in a variety of information fields and where each child and the teacher had individual Tablets.

Results from the research indicate a wide range of viewpoints by the teachers. There are those that side with change and see this as an opportunity to adapt education to the 21st century and there are those who oppose it. The teachers who were interviewed introduced the use of a variety of digital tools and modern teaching strategies. The use of the Tablet exposed the students to a rich world of readily available illustrations. It affected the rate of activity, the learning itself, learning with peers, sharing tools and encouraging interaction between teachers and students and amongst the students themselves. In addition, the students were tasked with challenging assignments such as searching for information and differential learning.

There were however certain difficulties and disadvantages which included partial mastery of the digital tools amongst the teachers, mainly with shared tools, the difficulty of managing online learning and checking online assignments as well as students who had difficulty reading the text from the screen. Most of the teachers felt that there is no proven improvement in achievement but they do expect that learning by Tablet in the future will lead to better results.

This research's contribution is to enlighten and to understand how to use the Tablet for teaching purposes in the most optimal way and by using the conclusions generated by the research findings to reveal the modern changes in teaching strategies and their influence on the students by using Tablets and also the advantages and disadvantages of their use for teaching and learning in the school.

Keywords:

Tablets, Innovative learning strategies, ICT.