Abstract

The culture of reading is shaped by a number of individually and socially determined factors arising from the cultural tradition of a given environment, making the status of books inseparable from the entire value system of a given society. The teacher of the native tongue is a key figure in the process of literary maturation of the future reading public; the role of the teacher is hindered by social changes in the modern “digital” world, in which the position of the reader and the book are now significantly different than in the recent past. Digital media cannot be solely blamed for the reduced interest of pupils in reading books. This paper will discuss the complexity of the field of education, the culture of reading in the new online environment, and changes brought by the current Croatian language subject curriculum. The advantages and disadvantages of using IT technologies in educational processes will be critically examined; guidelines will also be offered for the functional implementation of internet tools and ready-made applications in Croatian language teaching. Children’s upbringing is closely tied to digitalisation and social networks, the influence of which are not necessarily negative; this influence must simply be used functionally to direct attention towards the unquestionable potential of good books. The justification for required reading will be noted, as will the problem of disregarding the reading interests of young pupils. The paper will offer a methodical contribution for the interpretation of required reading titles through the implementation of creative online tools.