From Paper to Pixels: Transforming Curriculum Into Digital Form Issues

International Journal of Humanities, Art and Social Studies (IJHAS), Vol. 10, No.2, May 2025
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FROM PAPER TO PIXELS:TRANSFORMING
CURRICULUM INTO DIGITAL FORM
Natalia Hrkotáčová
Department of Pedagogy, Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra, Slovakia
ABSTRACT
The article deals with the process of transforming textbook content in the subject of history for the 9th
grade into a website. We describe the process of adapting historical facts and information into an
interactive and visually appealing form, the form of a website. We also draw attention to the
possibilities and limits of the process of transforming textbook content into an interactive digital form,
in order to highlight and emphasize the importance of digitizing the teaching content of the subject of
history, not only for the needs of the 21st
century, but also for the needs of current students. The
article also aims to inspire and encourage practicing teachers to innovative approaches in teaching
history in practice and to make historical facts accessible to students in an innovative form.
KEYWORDS
Education for the 21st century, digital learning materials, digitization, modern history teaching,
history, websites
1. INTRODUCTION
The content of education is elaborated in detail in all books used in the teaching process at
individual types of schools, which do not explicitly have the character of a textbook. These
become the norm for the student with their content. Due to the interaction of several factors,
in school books we rarely, if ever, encounter a deeper treatment of the topic of Regional
History within the subject of history. Regional education, part of history teaching, primarily
focuses on active cognition, reflecting on the past and present, in the context of a certain
place, region, state, with the subsequent projection of the acquired knowledge into its
everyday life. However, this aspect is currently not given due emphasis in individual types of
schools when teaching history. Many teachers do not realize that Regional Education as a
cross-cutting theme can arouse students’ interest in the subject of history. Another problem
may be the impossibility of allocating space for the cross-cutting theme within the teaching
process, in terms of time, or the lack of suitably didactically adapted material usable in the
teaching process [1]. In the process of creating a suitable didactic aid, in this case the visual
one, for the needs of the teaching process, it is necessary to primarily take into account the
age characteristics of the target group and the tasks and focus of the teaching subject of
history, for which the resulting visual aid will be intended [2]. As a final product, it should
fulfill the function of information material, serving to deepen the basic text from school
books. At the same time, it must be adapted to the current time and the nature of teaching,
and also be able to attract or stimulate the attention and activity of the student in viewing
history from different angles with its content focus [3]. The way in which, and whether, a
teacher is able to incorporate the use of visual aids into the teaching process is largely a
result of their creativity. The subsequent creativity of the student also depends on creativity
and creative approaches to teaching [4]. It is positive if the teacher does not apply a

26
stereotype, does not work according to a scheme, but is able to adequately adapt his work to
the real educational situation. His creativity will thus be reflected not only in how he, or
possibly others, evaluate his work, but especially in what level of knowledge his students
will achieve. Modernization of the teaching process is currently a necessity [5]. If
modernization consists in the complexity of innovation of the content of education, methods,
forms of educational work of the teacher and the school, the material and technical side of
teaching, then the creation of a website can clearly be considered as its form [6].
2. TEACHER AS AN INNOVATOR
The teacher is undoubtedly the main figure in the process of shaping the personality of a
student in the school environment. His approach to teaching, as well as to the students
themselves, can significantly affect their interest in teaching. Perhaps this is why very high
demands are constantly placed on the teacher not only in terms of the level of his education,
the level of communication, but also his ability to interest and become a role model for
students. Graduates of pedagogical disciplines largely lack practical experience, which
cannot always be replaced by the level of their theoretical knowledge. Despite the fact that
teachers as students in the discipline are obliged to complete a certain number of hours in
practice in the Slovak Republic, whether in the role of an observer or a teacher, this number
still appears to be insufficient and so they usually gain experience only in the real
performance of their profession [7]. It goes without saying that the level of knowledge of
people is constantly increasing over time, and therefore it is logical that not all acquired
knowledge and information can be mechanically transformed into educational content. It is
necessary to consistently select and adapt it to the times and needs of society [8]. A person
develops both physically and intellectually throughout his life. He acquires, deepens and
improves abilities and talents, acquired mainly by inheritance. The teacher has to help him
in this whole process in the school environment, which he can only succeed with difficulty if
he does not interest his pupil. He must perceive that he is placed in the role of an
implementer, but also an innovator of the teaching process and does not only transfer
knowledge to his pupils. Consciously or unconsciously, through his influence they also
acquire habits, abilities and skills [9]. In the current implementation of the educational
process, the teacher must condition the content, but not the final form, of the lessons on the
curriculum and the syllabus. The curriculum Is the main document relating to the school
environment. It is issued by the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the
Slovak Republic, it contains a list of compulsory, compulsory optional and optional subjects
taught in a given type of school facility. Despite the fact that the curriculum and syllabus are
considered a kind of pedagogical norm of the educational process, the teacher is required to
constantly update and modify them, taking into account educational standards, the
acceptance of which allows for a more accurate and precise definition of the content of the
curriculum of a particular subject [10]. Currently, the teacher has access to an excessive
amount of resources that he can incorporate into teaching and which the teacher did not have
at his disposal in previous stages of the existence and functioning of the school system. The
extent to which he applies them in the process of implementing lessons largely depends on
his creativity, skills and ability to use them [11]. One of the most important points of
reference for a teacher in the process of preparing and implementing lessons are school
books – textbooks. They contain a detailed, didactically adjusted educational content adapted
to the needs of the student, which also becomes the norm for the student [12]. However, a
qualified teacher should have a much more extensive knowledge base than is contained in
school books, so that he can demonstrate his knowledge in the field and, in his own
interpretation of the curriculum, convey knowledge to students beyond the scope of the texts
in them [13]. However, most teachers, especially those starting out without sufficient
practice, tend to focus on the text in the textbook that elaborates on the curriculum that the

27
student is supposed to master, strictly adhere to it, and do not enrich it with anything new or
interesting. This approach to teaching leads to students losing interest not only in the
explanation of the subject matter, but also in its content, or even in the subject itself [14].
However, the aim of teaching is the exact opposite. Through it, the student, under the
supervision and guidance of the teacher, has the task of mastering a set of goals in the
psychomotor, cognitive and attitudinal areas, primarily by exerting their own initiative and
activity, which must be supported by the teacher, not suppressed [15]. The primary task of
the teacher in the educational process is to guide this process by using various teaching
methods, preferring methods capable of activating the creativity and mind of the student. In
cooperation with the primary task of the student to actively grasp everything new, discover
and learn the unknown, cooperation is created in which the student is, on the one hand, the
object of the teacher’s influence, and on the other hand, a subject expressing his own
attitudes. To ensure the greatest possible effectiveness of teaching, it is necessary to look at
the student in this light and give him ample space for his self-realization with a focus on
meeting the goals of teaching [16].
2.1. The Importance of Visuality in Teaching History
The effort to improve the quality of the educational process implemented in schools is
constantly becoming an incentive for the emergence of various discussions. Their goal is
also to find a suitable way to introduce visuality into all school subjects, allowing students to
create a concrete idea of the phenomena and objects of reality [17]. In teaching history, even
today, the teacher constantly encounters the fact that his students have primarily formal
knowledge. The greatest shortcoming of the current student is that he mostly lacks clear
historical ideas, because he considers it more important that his efforts and home preparation
are evaluated with a good grade. Such a perception of the subject leads him to learn to
mechanically reproduce the subject matter at the required level, but not to try to understand
the mutual connections and relationships or the basic laws of historical development [18]. A
possible cause must also be sought in the incorrect, uninteresting, stereotypical management
of any of the organizational forms of teaching. In the process of the course of a time unit
oriented towards the implementation of educational goals and teaching content, while
constantly applying various educational means and methods, while respecting didactic
principles, an important interaction takes place between the teacher and the pupil. This
interaction should be enriching for both parties, but it does not have to take place exclusively
in the school environment. The term organizational form is not synonymous with a lesson.
We understand it as forms of pupil education taking place in the school, but also in the
extracurricular environment – i.e. a trip, excursion, or outing, the use of which undoubtedly
increases the pupil’s interest in the course and content of the educational process [19]. The
choice and implementation of the organizational form rests with the teacher’s decision. This
requires his ability to reflect before, during and after the implementation itself on the
educational reality, or on the level of the pupil’s previous experiences and knowledge, which
will need to be followed up and gradually deepened. To achieve the desired effect, it is also
necessary for the teacher to motivate the pupil appropriately, for example by using
appropriate material and didactic resources, so that he can develop the activity that is
essential in the entire process of upbringing and education. It is also an advantage for the
teacher to have information about the interests of his pupils. This information can help him
to choose the most appropriate motivation [20]. However, the fact remains that the most
frequently used organizational form of teaching is the basic type of lesson, the content of
which is constantly becoming a target of criticism. During its course, the teacher, in
cooperation with a permanent group of students, at a precisely defined time interval, in a
dedicated classroom or in another location, while respecting didactic principles and using the
most adequate means and methods to achieve the set educational goals, makes new

28
information and knowledge available [21]. However, in real practice, we increasingly
encounter the phenomenon that students receive ready-made knowledge exclusively through
the teacher's explanation, without having to actively participate in the learning process, as a
result of which formalism is clearly manifested in students' knowledge, or in its complexity it
arouses hostility towards history. In connection with the above, the issue of forming correct
historical ideas in students can be considered the most acute problem [22]. Students enter the
school environment as individuals with preliminary ideas about events in history, mostly
acquired from computer games, films, series, magazines, with a lack of correctly formed
clear historical ideas, causing, for example, incorrect recognition of specific characteristic
features of a certain period, groups, classes, poor understanding of the way people lived in
the past, or incorrect perception of specific individuals important to history. Demonstrative
teaching as such, through an adequate form of its implementation, should be able to ensure
the possibility of observing real phenomena, objects, and tools and to create clear ideas in
the mind of the student [23].
3. THE PROCESS OF CREATING A WEBSITE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
FOR HISTORY TEACHING
In the 21st century, the century of technical progress and social networks, creating a high-
quality, engaging website that dynamically responds to the stimuli and needs of society is
probably as difficult as making it visible after its publication and later constantly updating it,
or managing it functionally [24]. Perhaps that is why its creation was initially narrowly
specified for experienced experts, who have the necessary modern hardware and software
equipment. Today, not only browsing information shared on the Internet in various graphic
forms, but also publishing it, can become a routine activity for each of us [25]. There is not
one, but a large number of different publications devoted to this issue, offering various
instructions, methods, and themes, with the help of which even a less experienced individual
can create a website that will make content of various natures available to its visitors in a
highly graphic format. However, the degree of their topicality remains questionable, if we
take into account the daily increasing new knowledge in the field of science and technology,
the constant creation of new programs by programmers, or the rapid development of the
Internet [26]. There are very few communication and information tools with such an intense
influence as the Internet can have on a person. Likewise, today's student, as well as an adult,
interacts with it every day, whether in a school, work or home environment. He gets stimuli
and information from it, communicates on social networks, and is able to become part of a
certain community through it. In this way, it gradually becomes a common part of his being,
connecting various areas of life, from entertainment to business [27]. At the same time, by
introducing ICT elements into teaching, the educational impact on the pupil becomes much
more effective - unknown knowledge is presented to the pupil in a form familiar to him
through the tools chosen by the teacher, which allows him to learn them more easily.
However, their choice must not be a matter of chance. The teacher should choose them
mainly based on the goal he wants to achieve by including them in teaching [28]. Not all
teachers have mastered working with various available programs, so they cannot include
them in teaching. They often do not even know about ICT elements that they could include
in the process of education and training, not to mention the fact that only a few of them are
able to create their own ICT tool that would be equally functional and helpful. However,
most schools have the necessary technical equipment to work with them [29]. Working with
a website in a history lesson can not only enliven the course itself, innovate it, but above all
convey knowledge to the student in a way that is close to him. If the site is designed in the
right way, while using elements that stimulate the senses or its content develops the
cognitive abilities of the student, or makes available factual content with a historical theme,

29
its inclusion is more than welcome. Even a person untrained in the field can manage to create
a website, using various instructions, but if it is to be a site that will be used when working
with students in the educational process, he must not only be proficient in manipulating a
computer, but also master didactic principles and principles. Therefore, before starting its
creation, it is important to think everything through thoroughly, prepare the materials, and
plan [30]. The most important thing is the main content of the website, which should be
created and finalized in a way that is consistent with the purpose and nature of the website. It
is logical that the graphic design and quality of individual pages, which are influenced not
only by the author’s ideas, knowledge, skills, but also by the overall focus of the website,
will be different. It is assumed that most pages will contain at least one text field after their
publication, since each author presents his thoughts, ideas, and observations to the audience
mainly through it. Therefore, in addition to flawless grammatical execution, the text should
also be adequately styled, sized, and colored, especially to the background visuals, but also
to the requirements of visitors. The way the website functions and the appearance of the
format when resizing in the browser window are affected by pixels. Their correct
configuration can bring the website content closer to users in high resolution even on a small
screen, such as a mobile phone or tablet, which will allow working with the website not only
on a computer set-up. If an Internet user opens a page that makes them feel uncertain,
confused or lost, they will quickly leave it and look for another. Therefore, every website
should offer the most transparent user interface possible and be easy to manipulate. In most
cases, websites can be updated almost immediately without much effort. This is undoubtedly
their essential and inherent part, much more important than the creation and publication of
the page itself. The creator of the website should therefore not consider updating the page as
an obligation, but a necessity, because his followers will constantly expect and demand
regular data updates, in accordance with the nature of the page and the current needs of
society [31].
4. CONCLUSION
It is very difficult for a teacher to do without ICT in their teaching practice today. Although
the initial enthusiasm resulting from the perception of ICT as a patch for all the
complications and ambiguities associated with the implementation of education is gradually
fading, their importance in the process of upbringing and education can still be considered
more than undeniable. When working with ICT in teaching, the teacher must be aware that
the focus of the work should be on the student, who, after guidance, should be able to
critically evaluate available resources and respect and identify with the rules of safe
handling of information, hardware, and software [32]. Today, the student often has much
greater skills in manipulating a computer than the teacher himself, which can be a great
benefit, especially if the teacher is able to incorporate the student’s outputs into the learning
resources in the future, whether in the form of photo documentation from the excursion,
various other visual documentation, video recording, graph, table, or project. The durability
and possibility of repeated use of the created materials, continuous editing, easy sharing
thanks to electronic distribution, economic efficiency, and space-saving storage can
undoubtedly be considered a great positive [33]. As a practical example of the transformation
of learning content, we present a website we created: https://ucebnicadejepisu.webnode.sk.
Since its first publication, it has been edited and supplemented several times. It cannot be
ruled out that it will be updated, supplemented with content, or edited in cooperation with
other educators working on the subject in the future. Each part of it and the overall content
focus is adapted to the level of cognitive processes of a 9th grade elementary school student
in the subject of history. When creating a page dedicated to Milan Rastislav Štefánik, one of
the most important figures in Slovak history, we carried out a complex transformation of the
text from a history textbook for the 9th grade of elementary school (Dušan, Kováč et al.,

30
(2019) Dejepis 9: Pátrame po minulosti, Bratislava, Orbis Pictus Istropolitana, pp. 18-19)
into the form of a modern and interactive web material. This process involved careful
preservation of the original content of the text to respect its authenticity, while
supplementing the content with broader historical contexts, unique facts and interesting
details that allow for a deeper understanding of his life and legacy. One of the key
advantages is that the site is optimized for modern technologies, allowing students to easily
and intuitively manipulate it not only on computers, but also on mobile phones or tablets.
This feature not only increases the accessibility of the content, but also supports active
interaction with the educational material, which ultimately makes the teaching process more
efficient. The site also includes extended information about Štefánik's diplomatic and
scientific activities, his contribution to the Slovak nation and his fascinating personal history,
which are missing from the textbook, so it can be considered a supplement to the textbook
text. Interesting facts, such as his passion for astronomy, cultural activities or innovative
approach to aviation, are added to the broader historical context through video, thus
providing students with a new perspective on the versatility of his person in visual form.
Finally, we can conclude that a website with educational content, if properly designed, can
serve as inspiration not only for other educational activities, but also for teachers and
students themselves. Websites offer unique opportunities in education - from multimedia
content processing to interactive tools that can make teaching more attractive and effective.
We believe that the presentation of a specific website created for the needs of education of
9th grade students in the subject of history, sufficiently emphasized how technologies can
enrich the learning process and bring history closer to today's generations.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The study supports the intention of the UGA project with registration number V/7/2025.
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AUTHOR
Paed Dr. Natália Hrkotáčová works at the Department of Pedagogy PF UKF in Nitra
as an internal doctoral student. She specializes in digitalization of teaching and
innovative approaches in teaching of the Slovak language and literature. In her
scientific research work, she focuses on working with digital content in the framework
of undergraduate preparation of teacher education students.

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