• Korean Journal of Comparative Education
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.127-156
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• 2014

This study was inspired by the issue that the fundamentals of education have been overlooked, as today's smart education policies established in the knowledge-based information society of the 21st century have only focused on building digital environment and its efficiency. To carry out the study, the media education of Germany, which is equivalent of Korea's smart education, was analyzed to obtain implications for Korea's smart education. In Germany, the media education has been managed by the country ever since the information society has begun. Since 2009, the media education has become a requirement for all schools in every state. Thus, the current media education policy of each state has been analyzed, which revealed the following common characteristics. 1) The media education is closely linked to existing curriculum and education, rather than being conducted separately with different standards. 2) The media education is being conducted in a democratic manner by actively reflecting the exemplary cases of school teachers, rather than following the instructions and guidelines from the government. 3) The media education deals with the character and identity of young students, based on their basic understanding of information society, which are essential for a successful life in the upcoming society. Unlike the first and second implication linked to the method and procedure of media education policy, the third implication is the basic purpose of media education, which is also the key implication of this study. The media education policy of Germany, which is being conducted with its own educational philosophy, offers significant implications for Korea's smart education policy. In Korea, the education only revolves around device-based environment innovation or content development. It should be noted that the purpose of smart education is developing smart individuals who can bring better, happier, and more successful society - rather than establishing a smart environment. Therefore, the focus of discussion on Korea's smart education that revolves around environment, infrastructure, device utilization, and contents development should be changed to the character and identity of students, which are required in the future smart era. That's when 'human-based' educational revolution, instead of 'device-based' classroom revolution can begin.