EDUCATIONAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

The paper deals with the conditions for successful implementation of modern teaching methods i.e. effective use of ICT and digital learning materials. Nowadays the emphasis is on new class model termed as New Generation Classrooms. Such classrooms have its arrangement and equipment to support the constructivist approach in the educational process and the main emphasis is also on pupils' access to modern digital technologies. Another important part of the modern educational process is the content of education and software tools to support building new knowledge. We point out some useful software tools to support inquiry-based approaches to acquiring new knowledge pupils themselves and also on the possibility of digital educational content creation by teacher. Teacher creates digital learning objects either himself or uses already prepared objects from different repositories. The New Generation Classrooms combine various traditional teaching methods with the most modern technologies and digital teaching tools which can make the educational process more engaging and the building of pupils' new knowledge more effectively. In the article there are the results of the first part of the research realized in China within the student grant project " ICT in Mathematics at elementary schools in Olomouc and Leshan City". Within this project explores the availability and use of ICT in math teaching at primary schools in the Czech Republic and China including competencies and attitudes of teachers towards ICT.