With the development of information and communication technology (ICT), the education and training system also began to change. ICT brings modern teaching methods and encourages active forms of learning, which allow interactivity, personalisation and differentiation. Such forms require good knowledge and the implementation of learning theories into lessons. It is important to consider in what way to implement modern technology into lessons in order to reach the desired goals more effectively. This is the only way pupils will develop skills and competences, which life in the 21st century demands from them. The education system and learning curricula encourage teachers to implement ICT into lessons, but the final decision is still made by teachers, who are pedagogically and didactically well-trained for their field, but need professional didactical assistance for the work with ICT. The key reformers of the pedagogical practice are therefore teachers, who provide pupils with an innovative and encouraging learning environment and greater access to knowledge and skills. With increasing frequency, teachers create their own e-materials, which arouse interest of pupils and influence their attention. Successful development of digital competencies requires developed functional literacy or reading literacy. It is ICT that can effectively support the development of basic and higher levels of literacy. Teaching Slovene using ICT therefore offers possibilities for systematic development of digital competences while developing pupils’ communicational abilities. However, there are still dilemmas about how to implement ICT without neglecting the main goals of teaching Slovene. An important turning point in the field of ICT use and development of digital competences is without doubt the period of distance learning during the pandemic, which has altered many views. The goal of the empirical part was to gain insight into the actual state of ICT use in Slovene lessons in the first and second triad of primary school. We used a qualitative approach and a descriptive method. We found that teachers use modern ICT and implement it into Slovene lessons, which is proven by the fact that the majority of the interviewed teachers use a computer and other technology to teach Slovene at least two or three times a week. The use of ICT is mostly frontal. The use of e-materials, video and audio recordings as an introduction into further activities or as a support in providing learning materials and guiding pupils prevails. Less frequently, ICT is used in pupils’ independent work in order to develop higher thought processes or from the view of knowledge consolidation and examination. For the most part, teachers do not create their own e-materials, because they are satisfied with e-materials, provided by publishing houses. The majority of them think that they are sufficiently skilled for using ICT in classes, nevertheless, they want more concrete education on the use of ICT tools that would enable them to achieve the goals of teaching Slovene. They also want the leadership to give them additional support and encouragement. The use of ICT is slightly more frequent in language lessons in the second triad. Based on the findings, we prepared general suggestions for teachers, which shall be a guide and encouragement for the implementation of ICT even in atypical fields, like Slovene lessons.
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